Research

The Office of International Programs in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) has initiated the Global Food Security Fellows Program to support exceptional students who are interested in conducting food-related research in a developing country. The first cohort of Fellows included four ACES graduate students and three undergraduates. These Fellows will be sharing their experiences on the Voices of ACES blog.  

URBANA, Ill. – Conflict over resource extraction is rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, with small-scale miners violently pitted against multinational mining corporations – and the state security forces that protect them – for access. Attempts to solve the problem by imposing Western environmental systems and regulations aren’t working. But it’s not for the reasons most experts might suspect, according to a new Illinois study.

URBANA, Ill. – A “cyberoctopus” may sound like a superhero, but it is actually the focus of the recently announced multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) award led by Girish Chowdhary, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Illinois. The project, funded by the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research, is looking to advance the frontiers of AI, control, and robotics, by learning from the brain and body of octopuses and other cephalopods.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists may have discovered more reasons to love chocolate. A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois suggests that three of the phenolic compounds in cocoa bean shells have powerful effects on the fat and immune cells in mice, potentially reversing the chronic inflammation and insulin resistance associated with obesity. Read more.

URBANA, Ill. – The public will have the opportunity to learn from more University of Illinois scientists than ever before during the 62^nd Agronomy Day on Aug. 22. Researchers and Extension specialists from across the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences will share the latest discoveries and best practices in agronomy and land stewardship.

URBANA, Ill. – We’ve all heard about bacteria that are becoming resistant to multiple types of antibiotics. These are the so-called superbugs perplexing and panicking medical science. The plant analogue may just be waterhemp, a broadleaf weed common to corn and soybean fields across the Midwest. With resistance to multiple common herbicides, waterhemp is getting much harder to kill.  

URBANA, Ill. – Having a crummy day at work or feeling overwhelmed at home? Your gut microbes may be related to those negative emotions, a new University of Illinois study suggests.

In the study, published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, nutirition researchers looked at associations between diet, bacteria in the gut microbiota, and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in otherwise healthy adults.

URBANA, Ill. – Construction is set to begin Monday, June 3, on a new, state-of-the-art Feed Technology Center south of the University of Illinois campus, signaling a new era of animal nutrition innovation. The highly anticipated new facility will be built by ASI Industrial, based in Billings, Montana.

URBANA, Ill. – Illinois wheat growers, take heart. A new University of Illinois study shows no evidence of a highly toxic Fusarium head blight (FHB) variant, known as NA2, in the wheat-growing region of the state. The study also reinforces the effectiveness of wheat resistance to the fungal disease.

The relative contribution of new mutations to the problem of herbicide resistance is poorly understood. In a new study, Illinois crop scientists hoped to determine the baseline mutation rate for a plant of the genus Amaranthus, a group that includes waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, and other problematic agricultural weeds.

Read more from the Illinois News Bureau.