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A field of two-foot-tall sorghum plants at sunset. The sky has streaks of pink and blue.

Rubisco's role in global food security

As global food demand continues to grow, researchers are exploring multiple strategies to boost crop productivity. While engineering plant enzymes and biochemical pathways that are more efficient remains a transformative goal, this review highlights another promising approach: increasing Rubisco...
man and a woman in white lab coats hold containers with young green plants in a lab setting.

Climate-ready crop: RIPE team shows increase in food mass through photorespiratory bypass in elevated temperatures

A team from the University of Illinois has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may provide greater food security for families dependent on potatoes, as these are...
A woman standing in a field

Prominent global change scientist joins crop sciences, plant biology at Illinois

Globally recognized as one of the most influential modern scientists, Elizabeth “Lisa” Ainsworth has been named Professor and C.A. Ewing Chair of Crop Physiology in the Department of...
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Six Illinois scientists rank among world's most influential

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Six researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2024 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes researchers and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence, as reflected through their publication...
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Study: Mesophyll conductance doubles in soybean domestication, providing opportunity to be enhanced through selective breeding

 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and...
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Thin skin significantly blunts injury from puncture, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Thin, stretchy skin — like that of a pig or human — significantly lessens the underlying damage that occurs when it’s punctured. Pig skin even outperforms synthetic materials that are designed to mimic skin, a new study finds. Its special qualities, in particular its ability to...
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Carl Bernacchi helping raise the bar for agriculture climate research at Illinois

When Carl Bernacchi was completing his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois some 20 years ago, Illinois was globally referred to as a “photosynthesis powerhouse.” Today, thanks to Bernacchi and other world-class researchers...
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NSF, international partners to invest nearly $10M in ASAP Global Center

 The U.S. National Science Foundation and partner agencies in the U.S., Canada, Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United Kingdom announced funding of new international centers of excellence in their Global Centers competition. One of the centers, the ...
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The big why

For evolution, ecology and behavior professor Alison Bell, asking big questions seems to be a lifelong habit.As an undergraduate studying the history and philosophy of science at the...
Two men standing in a field holding bees

Study: Good nutrition boosts honey bee resilience against pesticides, viruses

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tackled a thorny problem: How do nutritional stress, viral infections and exposure to pesticides together influence honey bee survival? By looking at all three stressors together, the scientists found that...