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The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is dedicated to transformative research and technology in life sciences. Team-based themes tackle grand societal challenges in food security, energy, health, technology, and environmental conservation. Its facilities include a microfabrication lab, plant growth facility, and a microscopy suite.
The Next Gold Rush: Mining Microbial Genomes
“Microbes are king of the world. If human beings ceased to exist, microbes wouldn’t even notice [except those in the human microbiome], but if microbes ceased to exist today, human beings would cease to exist tomorrow.”
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Study: Damaged liver cells undergo reprogramming to regenerate
New research conducted by biochemists at the University of Illinois has determined how damaged liver cells repair and restore themselves through a signal to return to an early stage of postnatal organ development. The findings are reported in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
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Study: Kidney stones have distinct geological histories
Using a suite of techniques both common and new to geology and biology, researchers, from left, M.D./Ph.D. student Jessica Saw, geologist and microbiologist Bruce Fouke, microscopy expert and plant biologist Mayandi Sivaguru and their colleagues made new discoveries about how kidney stones...
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Science Image by Rajashekar Iyer, Gillette Lab, featured by NSF
This image was part of the seventh annual Art of Science exhibit at the University of Illinois Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB). Learn more about the Art of Science program. (Date image taken: 2017; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: ) (Date image taken: 2017; date...
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Social experience tweaks genome function behavior
What changes in the brain of an animal when its behavior is altered by experience? Research at the University of Illinois led by Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Lisa Stubbs is working toward an answer to this question by focusing on the collective actions of genes. In a recent ...
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In Memoriam: Abigail Salyers
During her 40-year career, Abigail Salyers revolutionized how we think about the bacteria that live in the human intestinal tract, helped design antibiotic drugs, and provided a voice of reason in discussions on bioterrorism, transgenic plant safety, antibiotic resistance in medicine and...
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Using Genomics to Look at Microbial Evolution
Most microbiologists sequence genes in order to determine what a given gene does. Rachel Whitaker, a member of the biocomplexity theme at IGB and assistant professor of microbiology, studies gene sequences to answer other kinds of questions. She would like to know, for example, "How do microbes,...
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Novel toxin receptor discovered for ulcer-causing stomach pathogen
Associate Professor Steven Blanke and his team have identified the receptor for a toxin produced by ulcer-causing bacteria.