Campus Highlights

In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, photography was still early in its development, barely two decades old. Most people had seen few photographs, and many of those they had seen were portraits. "The capacity of photography to represent the real carnage of war was very new and very shocking to people."

Law professor Jay P. Kesan says the current non-negotiable approach to user privacy is in need of serious revision, especially with the increased popularity of Web-based software that shares information through cloud computing.

John P. Wilkin has been named university librarian and dean of libraries at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, effective Aug. 16, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees at its July 24 meeting in Chicago.

Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha yoga significantly improved participants speed and accuracy on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly better immediately after the yoga practice than after moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for the same amount of time.

Honey bees dont start out knowing how to find flowers or even how to get around outside the hive. Before they can forage, they must learn how to navigate a changing landscape and orient themselves in relation to the sun. In a new study, researchers report that a regulatory gene known to be involved in learning and the detection of novelty in vertebrates also kicks into high gear in the brains of honey bees when they are learning how to find food and bring it home.

This is the story of the discovery, and later disqualification of Illinium, the Illinois Element. Produced by UI-7 students Chuntunay Phillips and Tian Lu.

Dr. Sidonie Lavergne, a faculty member at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, is an expert in veterinary pharmacology, toxicology, and the immune system. She is concerned that a lack of awareness of drug hypersensitivity reactions in the veterinary field has led to an underestimation of the severity and frequency of these reactions. For this reason, she is spearheading an investigation into the nature and occurrence of allergic events, focusing on both dogs and humans.

The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a symbol of spiritual purity and longevity. Its seeds can survive up to 1,300 years, its petals and leaves repel grime and water, and its flowers generate heat to attract pollinators. Now researchers report in the journal Genome Biology that they have sequenced the lotus genome, and the results offer insight into the heart of some of its mysteries. The sequence reveals that of all the plants sequenced so far and there are dozens sacred lotus bears the closest resemblance to the ancestor of all eudicots, a broad category of flowering plants that includes apple, cabbage, cactus, coffee, cotton, grape, melon, peanut, poplar, soybean, sunflower, tobacco and tomato.

Once derided as barbaric and tantamount to human cockfighting by many lawmakers, the mixed martial arts industry was on the fringe of the sports landscape during its early years in the U.S. and was banned in 36 states. Over the past decade, however, MMA and its foremost promotional vehicle, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have made a dramatic turnaround, winning mainstream acceptance and legalization in all but two states Connecticut and New York.

Theres hope for patients with myotonic dystrophy. A new small molecule developed by researchers at the University of Illinois has been shown to break up the protein-RNA clusters that cause the disease in living human cells, an important first step toward developing a pharmaceutical treatment for the as-yet untreatable disease.

Tere OConnor, a professor of dance at the University of Illinois, has been granted a Doris Duke Artist Award. The awards represent a deep investment in the potential of the 20 recipient artists, who each receive an unrestricted $225,000 grant, plus $25,000 to fund an audience-development project and another $25,000 to invest in a retirement account that will allow them to continue their creative work later in life.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have identified biomarkers that can be used to determine ovarian cancer survival and recurrence, and have shown how these biomarkers interact with each other to affect these outcomes.

Though they be but little, they are fierce. The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a dead car battery and then recharge the phone in the blink of an eye.

A thin plastic ribbon printed with advanced electronics is threaded through the eye of an ordinary sewing needle. The device, containing LEDs, electrodes and sensors, can be injected into the brain or other organs.

New hires success on the job is highly dependent on their knowledge of the formal and informal social systems in the workplace, suggests a new study led by Russell Korte, a professor of human resource development in the College of Education.

University of Illinois juniors Manan Raval and David Schmid have been awarded Barry M. Goldwater scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year for demonstrating leadership and academic promise in science or engineering. Seth Cazzell, a sophomore in materials science and engineering, and Shyam Saladi, a junior in electrical engineering, earned honorable mentions in the national competition.

Tilda Swinton, star of "Julia," will return to the film festival on April 19.

The outcome in the U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act could have complicated tax consequences for same-sex couples, says Richard L. Kaplan, the Peer and Sarah Pedersen Professor of Law at the University of Illinois, an expert on taxation and retirement issues.

Beckman Institute director Arthur Kramer and his colleagues discovered that elite athletes tend to be faster than their nonathletic peers at a variety of cognitive tasks that are important in sport and in daily life.

Fitness DVDs are a multimillion-dollar business, and those targeting adults over the age of 55 are a major part of the market. With names like Boomers on the Move, Stronger Seniors and Ageless Yoga, the programs promise much, but few have ever been rigorously tested.