2018-11-29
- Some fungi are smelly and coated in mucus. Others have gills that glow in the dark. Some are delicious; others, poisonous. Some spur euphoria when ingested. Some produce antibiotics.
All of these fungi – and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more – occur in North America. Of those that are known to science, 44,488 appear in a new checklist of North American fungi, published this month in...
2018-11-28 - The spines of Cylindropuntia fulgida, also known as jumping cholla, have a reproductive role. They latch on to passersby and carry small chunks of cactus flesh to new locations.
2018-11-05 - New research reveals that Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that produces carcinogenic aflatoxins that can contaminate seeds and nuts, has a multilegged partner in crime: the navel orangeworm caterpillar, which targets some of the same nut and fruit orchards afflicted by the fungus. Scientists report in the Journal of Chemical Ecology that the two pests work in concert to overcome plant...
2018-10-31 - A study of 3,588 square kilometers of privately owned land in central Kenya offers evidence that humans and their livestock can, in the right circumstances, share territory with zebras, giraffes, elephants and other wild mammals – to the benefit of all.
2018-10-31 - Entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
2018-10-25 - Professor Mark Hauber receives a $270,000 grant to collaborate with Tel Aviv University researchers on how invasive birds succeed in new habitats.
2018-10-23 - Illinois entomology professor Gene Robinson was elected to the National Academy of Medicine “for pioneering contributions to understanding the roles of genes in social behavior.”
2018-10-17 - Insects could be a game changer in the race to combat food insecurity and achieve zero hunger. Eating insects can help fight hunger and food insecurity. They are a fantastic source of nutrients—like protein—and food at times when the production of commonly eaten staple African food crops, like maize, fails due to the changing climate, droughts, or insect pest damage.
2018-08-28 - Postdoctoral researcher Mikus Abolins-Abols peers into the nest of an American robin.
2018-08-27 - A new study from Illinois entomology professor, Hugh Robertson, and colleagues at the University of California, Davis, reveals that all insects have odorant receptors that enable them to detect airborne chemicals.
2018-08-27 - Pointiness pays off for the eggs of cliff-dwelling birds, a new study reveals.
2018-08-27 - A new study of orangethroat darters reveals that the males’ ability to recognize their own and other species drives the evolution of their bright display colors.
2018-07-27 - Alexandra Harmon-Threatt will study neonicotinoids
2018-07-17 -
2018-07-17 - A new animal biology study of stickleback fish by Illinois animal biologist Alison Bell (left) and former Illinois doctoral student Laura Stein (right) shows that individuals show the same molecular and developmental responses to their own versus their parent’s exposure to predators