RESEARCH Science 2000 2001 2002 2003

TOPICS: Agriculture |Astmospheric Sciences |Biology | Chemistry | Computers | Engineering | Geography | Materials Science | Nutrition | Physics | Veterinary Medicine

AGRICULTURE
Pig production: Antibiotics used on swine farms may stir controversy about their potential role in the rise of anti-bacterial resistance, but a new study says their use means significant production efficiency and a 9 percent boost in pork producer profits.(12/16/03)

Soybean yield: Although rising ozone levels already reduce soybean yields, a study of the crop grown in projected 2030 levels has harvested more troubling results – a 20 percent yield loss – say scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (7/30/03)

Corn photosynthesis: Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will benefit photosynthesis in U.S. corn crops in the future by relieving drought stress, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (7/25/03)

Where's the Beef? A new study based on taste testing of 103 consumers also says that beef enhanced with a sodium and phosphate solution pass the dinner-table quality test. (6/19/03)

ARCHAEOLOGY
Mummy Studies: As explained in a new book, every tool of the trade in non-invasive exploration circa 1991 was used to conduct a "virtual" autopsy on an Egyptian mummy. (3/1/03)

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Climate Sensitivity: Uncertainty in the climate sensitivity to growing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide has been a stumbling block to policy makers addressing the climate change issue. A study published in the March 28 issue of the journal Science, however, concludes that huge reductions in fossil-fuel carbon emissions will be required by the middle of this century – regardless of the likely climate sensitivity. (3/27/03)

BIOLOGY
Cellular Metabolism: Two schools of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will soon begin to explore how genes regulate cellular metabolism, eventually leading to ways to enhance overall human health, thanks to a $1.1 million grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.(10/29/03)

Timeless gene: In 1998, scientists found the mammalian version of a gene, known as timeless, which in flies is crucial for the biological clock. However, all but one of the research groups involved determined that timeless did not have such a role in mammals. Now that research group says timeless is indeed a key timekeeper in mammals.(10/16/03)

In a new complex molecular study of rats, published in the Oct. 17 issue of Science, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign blocked the functional ability of timeless, leaving the circadian clock in disarray.

Alaska: Emerging geochemical and biological evidence from Alaskan lake sediment suggests that slight variations in the sun’s intensity have affected sub-polar climate and ecosystems in a predictable fashion during the last 12,000 years.

Chromosome physiology: Researchers studying the nuclei of frog oocytes in early stages of meiosis – the cell division that gives rise to germ cells – have found that two key proteins remain apart at a crucial time before condensation occurs. One of the proteins, they say, may be important in the early organization of chromosomes and later may recruit the other. (8/14/03)

Ferret protein: Biologists studying early pregnancy in ferrets have isolated a protein vital to embryonic implantation. The discovery at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign eventually could enhance assisted-reproductive efforts in many threatened species.(6/24/03)

Birds: High in the canopy of a Neotropical Panamanian forest, researchers have discovered that birds, especially native ones during the rainy season, protect trees by reducing the numbers of leaf-eating insects. (6/23/03)

Organelle: Researchers looking inside a pathogenic soil bacterium have found an organelle, a subcellular pouch, existing independently from the plasma membrane. The discovery within a prokaryotic organism challenges the theory on the origin of eukaryotic organelles and suggests a targeted approach to killing many disease-causing organisms. (6/17/03)

DNA folding:New molecular technologies, some driven by the work of a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are exposing unexpectedly high levels of DNA folding and complex protein-rich assemblages within the nucleus of cells that he says "seriously challenge the textbook models." (2/17/03)

Microbes: The real world, says microbiologist Abigail Salyers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is just now coming to grips with the world of microbial evidence. (2/17/03)

Brain abnormalities: Fragile X syndrome and schizophrenia represent vastly different abnormalities of the brain, but they provide functionally similar examples of what happens when wiring processes go awry, neuroscientist William T. Greenough said Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2/17/03)

Fragile X tool: A newly developed tool that allows researchers to study strands of messenger RNA that bind to a specific protein has lifted a layer of mystery involving a common symptom of Fragile X syndrome, report scientists from four institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2/6/03)

Brain fitness: Three key areas of the brain adversely affected by aging show the greatest benefit when a person stays physically fit. The proof, scientists say, is visible in the brain scans of 55 volunteers over age 55. (1/27/03)

CHEMISTRY
Protein: From within the rich fabric of connecting tissue between cells, researchers of four institutions, led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have identified the action of anastellin, a natural agent that is showing promise blocking metastasis of cancer cells and enhancing wound healing. (12/2/03)

Cancer: Chemists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have produced a molecule that selectively kills cancerous cells in a desired way and leaves healthy cells virtually untouched. (12/1/03)

Carbon nanotubes: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Rice University have discovered a way to chemically select and separate carbon nanotubes based on their electronic structure. The new process also represents a fundamental shift in the way scientists think about the chemistry of nanotubes. (9/11/03)

X-ray crystal structure ID: Identifying the structures of certain types of molecular compounds can now take minutes, instead of days, and be performed much more accurately, say scientists who developed a new approach for analyzing key experimental X-ray data. (8/28/03)

Ammonia Conduction: The ability of proteins to guide small molecules to reaction sites and across membranes is essential to many metabolic pathways, but the process is not well understood. Now, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have shown that a globular protein with a barrel structure can direct small molecules in much the same fashion as a membrane protein. (6/10/03)

Biological splicing: The production of lariat RNAs is a key step in the biologically important process of splicing. (5/16/03)

Lead sensor: Detecting the presence of hazardous lead paint could become as simple as pressing a piece of paper against a wall and noting a color change.(5/13/03)

Protein folding: To carry out their functions, proteins must first fold into particular structures. How rapidly this process can occur has been both a source of debate and a roadblock to comparing protein folding theory and experiment.(5/7/03)

Microvascular networks: Using direct-write assembly of organic ink, researchers have developed a technique for fabricating three-dimensional microvascular networks. These tiny networks could function as compact fluidic factories in miniature sensors, chemical reactors, or computers used in applications from biomedicine to information technology. (3/24/03)

Smell: Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have sniffed out potential clues to how olfactory receptors in the nose detect odors. (2/24/03)

COMPUTERS
Construction Technology: Lightweight wearable wireless computers may transform the construction industry in the not-too-distant future, a professor of architecture says. (3/1/03)

ENGINEERING
Light-emitting transistor: Image only until 1/5/04 (12/29/03)

Smart bricks: A "smart brick" developed by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign could monitor a building’s health and save lives. (6/12/03)

Synergistic supergrid: A high-capacity superconducting energy pipeline, or SuperGrid, could deliver electricity and hydrogen fuel across the nation and help meet future energy needs while reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, say experts who recently assessed the scientific feasibility of the idea. (3/19/03)

Fast Algorithm: Beleaguered luggage scanners at the nation’s airports may soon find help in a fast algorithm developed by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The algorithm also promises to speed delivery of images generated by computerized tomography in hospitals and industry. (2/12/03)

ENTOMOLOGY
Bee behavior: Genes and behavior go together in honey bees so strongly that an individual bee’s occupation can be predicted by knowing a profile of its gene expression in the brain, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.(10/9/03)

GEOGRAPHY
Midwest prairie: Highway travelers view much of the Midwest as little more than barren flatlands. The formation of the region and its rich soils, especially tall grass areas that seemingly should support diverse forests, however, have long fascinated scientists. Newly available, long-term climate data now say the area is the product of weather extremes. (8/18/03)

MATERIALS SCIENCE
Electron nanodiffraction: A new imaging technique that uses electron diffraction waves to improve both image resolution and sensitivity to small structures has been developed by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (5/29/03)

NUTRITION
Lycopene: New research suggests that lycopene – a carotenoid in tomatoes that has been linked to a lowered risk of prostate cancer – does not act alone. Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Ohio State University say that lycopene’s punch is stronger in combination with other phytochemicals in the fruit. (11/4/03)

Fiber: Adding fiber to the diet for bowel health is standard advice for adults. Such wisdom also may benefit babies, say researchers who are testing the impact of fiber added to milk-replacement formulas of newborn piglets.

Protein-rich diet: As nutrition experts debate the ideal combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat that people should eat, new research explains for the first time how and why a moderately high protein diet may be the best for losing weight. (2/6/03)

PHYSICS
Transistor: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have broken their own record for the world’s fastest transistor. (11/6/03)

Phillip Phillips graphic of boson

Elusive bose metal: Writing in the Oct. 10 issue of the journal Science, Philip Phillips and Denis Dalidovich – a former graduate student now working at Florida State University – analyze the thin-film experiments and offer a new explanation in which the charge-carrying bosons condense into a glass-like, metallic state. (10/9/03)

Myosin molecule: Scientists have developed an extremely accurate imaging technique for looking inside the machinery of a cell and have found that molecules of myosin "walk" in a fashion very much like a human. (6/5/03)

Paul Selvin graphic.

Frequency shifter: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated an all-optical frequency shifter that could remove a bottleneck in optical communications networks. The device can rapidly and accurately shift the frequency of optical signals without the time-consuming tasks of detection, storage and rebroadcast. (3/11/03)

VETERINARY MEDICINE
Biomarkers: While the genetic blueprint for Shadow the poodle was being completed in Maryland, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been engaged in a long-term study that they hope will add functional gene information to the dog genome as well as benefit both canine and human health.(10/7/03)

Organelle: Researchers looking inside a pathogenic soil bacterium have found an organelle, a subcellular pouch, existing independently from the plasma membrane. The discovery within a prokaryotic organism challenges the theory on the origin of eukaryotic organelles and suggests a targeted approach to killing many disease-causing organisms. (6/17/03)

Cat book: Listen inside 34 percent of all U.S. homes and you’ll hear some 75 million domesticated cats purring, some quietly, some loudly. Outside those homes, however, just as many such cats (Felis catus) are hungry strays. (2/7/03)

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