News Archive
2007
The Queen Bee
May 09, 2007
In a study published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers led by Gene Robinson, professor of integrative biology, entomology, and cell and developmental biology, reveal why the queen honey bee lives 10 times longer than her genetically identical, but sterile sister worker bees.
Read more at
Science Daily article, Innovations Report article.
MCB Open House
May 03, 2007
This spring's student-hosted MCB Open House was a hit in its third year. MCB undergraduates showed the community how "cool" biology can be.
Read more at
LAS News article.
Antibiotic research
April 29, 2007
William W. Metcalf and collaborators at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin will receive a $7 million award from the National Institutes of Health 'to discover, engineer and produce a promising - yet little explored - class of antibiotic agents."
Read more at
Medical News Today article, Innovations Report article.
Honey bee genome holds secret to colony collapse
April 28, 2007
Gene Robinson, professor of integrative biology, entomology, and cell and developmental biology, and colleagues, are working to find particularly active genes in collapsing honey bee colonies in efforts to identify potential stressors effecting the colonies.
Read more at
Chronicle Herald article.
Honey bee colonies collapse
April 25, 2007
Gene Robinson, professor of integrative biology, entomology, and cell and developmental biology comments on the disappearance of honey bees from colonies across the nation
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Suntimes article, News-Sentinel article, New York Times article, New Scientist article.
Planarian research sheds light on germ cell formation
April 24, 2007
"In a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U. of I. cell and developmental biology professor Phillip Newmark and colleagues report that the tiny flatworms called planarians share some important characteristics with mammals that may help scientists tease out the mechanisms by which germ cells are formed and maintained."
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News Bureau article, Innovations Report article, EarthTimes.org article, HULIQ.com, PhysOrg.com article, Science Daily article, United Press International article.
Brain Awareness Day: an opportunity to think
April 23, 2007
"Sponsored by the UI Neuroscience Program and School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, the annual "Brain Awareness Day," the local version of a national Society for Neuroscience program, is all about the organ you use for thinking."
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News Gazette article.
Treating Brain Disorders
March 27, 2007
William Greenough, professor of cell and developmental biology, and psychology and psychiatry, debates the the treatment of brain disorders, proposing that computer-based techniques, though advanced in technology, may are not always the best option over low-tech solutions like surveys and medicines.
Read more at
Nature article.
Nobel Laureate Paul C. Lauterbur, developer of MRI, dies at age 77
March 27, 2007
Paul C. Lauterbur, considered by many to be the father of MRI, died this morning, at age 77. Lauterbur won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for introducing gradients into a magnetic field that allow for two-dimensional pictures of internal structures. He is survived by his wife, Joan Dawson, his three children, and his first wife.
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News Bureau article.
Entomology: The Scientist
March 06, 2007
Gene Robinson, professor of integrative biology, entomology, and cell and developmental biology, comments on the importance of findings reported by an article published this week in Public Library of Science Biology. According to the article, "a gene involved in egg production also helps honeybees exhibit some crucial social behaviors that distinguish them from solitary insects. 'This technique promises to be extremely helpful in identifying the no-doubt many other genes involved in regulating division of labor,' Robinson predicted."
Read more at
The Scientist article.
Illinois professor to be inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
February 08, 2007
Paul C. Lauterbur, Nobel laureate and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chemistry professor, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Lauterbur was selected for his pioneering work in the development of magnetic resonance imaging, an important tool in modern medicine.
Read more at
News Bureau article.
Estrogen interferes with immune surveillance in breast cancer
January 24, 2007
In a study published online in Oncogene, Dave Shapiro and collaborators from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, report "that estrogen induces the expression of an inhibitor that blocks immune cells' ability to kill tumor cells."
Read more at
Research article PDF, News Bureau article.
Achievements: A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members
January 18, 2007
Wilfred van der Donk, affiliate of the department of biochemistry, received the 2007 Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award. He won the award in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry.
Read more at
News Bureau article.
Sligar Cover Article on Lipoproteins
October 01, 2007
Stephen Sligar, Gunsalus Professor of Biochemistry and University Scholar, and collaborators in the Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology recently made the cover of The Journal of Physical Chemistry. Their article entitled, "Assembly of Lipoproteins as Imaged by Molecular Dynamics and Small-Angle X-ray Scattering" will be featured in the September 27, 2007 issue.