Muscle-Powered Bio-Bots: Soft biological machines take a step forward NewsAtIllinois 2026-09-21 | Muscle-Powered Bio-Bots: Soft biological machines take a step forward
Mechanical engineers introduce tapered interdigitated channels for battery-based desalination. NewsAtIllinois 2025-01-15 | Engineers have found a way to eliminate the fluid flow “dead zones” that plague the types of electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. The new technique uses a physics-based tapered flow channel design within electrodes that moves fluids quickly and efficiently.For more information, visit doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.145632and https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/996491173.
Aortic valve calcification NewsAtIllinois 2024-06-24 | Layers of amorphous calcium phosphate spherules (light beige fluorescence) coalesce to form ACP nodules (dark to light lavender fluorescence) within the fibrosa layer of a human aortic valve leaflet.Video provided by Mayandi Sivaguru and Bruce Fouke, Roy, J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. From "Osteopontin stabilization and collagen containment slows amorphous calcium phosphate transformation during human aortic valve leaflet calcification," Scientific Reports, Sivaguru et al 2024.
The Great American Eclipse in Martinsville, Illinois. NewsAtIllinois 2024-05-30 | A behind-the-scenes view of the Great American Eclipse event organized by students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Astronomical Society and the Outdoor Adventure Club. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/2021232009.
Bio-inspired materials with optimized stress distribution properties could help heal broken bones. NewsAtIllinois 2024-05-29 | Natural materials like bone, bird feathers and wood have an intelligent approach to physical stress distribution, despite their irregular architectures. A new study that integrates machine learning, 3D printing and stress experiments allowed engineers to gain insight into these natural wonders by developing a material that replicates the functionalities of human bone for orthopedic femur restoration. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/954678076 and nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47831-2
Lipid domain influenced by lipid protein interactions NewsAtIllinois 2024-04-22 | The researchers saw specific regions within the lipid nanodisc, with more density in the area in contact with the protein.
Raw movies - electron videography NewsAtIllinois 2024-04-22 | The raw video captured by liquid-phase electron microscopy over time. The researchers then use computational models to help analyze and verify the data.
Different components of nanodisc fluctuations NewsAtIllinois 2024-04-22 | Dynamics captured by electron videography include fluctuations of the protein, lipids and outer boundary of the nanodisc. For more information, visit https://chenlab.matse.illinois.edu or science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk0217
Molecular Electron Videography NewsAtIllinois 2024-04-22 | Electron videography of a membrane protein interacting with a lipid nanodisc. The combination of water-based transmission electron microscopy and computational modeling gives an atom-level picture of the dynamics at play. For more information, visit https://chenlab.matse.illinois.edu and science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk0217.
A stretchable wired sensor stays affixed to rapidly growing grass. NewsAtIllinois 2024-03-13 | A new, stretchable and rugged electronic device stays attached to a plant during an intense growth interval. This advancement, developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is poised to bring scientists a step closer to successfully growing plants in space. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/306078368. Video courtesy Siqing Wang and is published in the journal Device.
Atom level model of HK97 virus capsid packed with DNA NewsAtIllinois 2024-03-06 | "All-atom simulation trajectory of a fully packaged HK97 particle (“twist” packaged model). A quadrant of the protein capsid, colored in shades of blue, is removed to show the packaged DNA genome, colored in shades of red. Ions are shown as colored spheres with sodium shown in yellow, chloride in blue and magnesium in green. For clarity, only a fraction of all ions present in the system is shown.Koshic et al, "The structure and physical properties of a packaged bacteriophage particle," Nature 2024.For more information, visit https://bionano.physics.illinois.edu.
DNA packed into a virus capsid NewsAtIllinois 2024-03-06 | Coarse-grained simulations of HK97 genome packaging. A motor protein pushes DNA through a portal into the capsid, where the DNA coils into switchback loops. DNA is colored in order of entry into the capsid, blue to red. The packaging process spans roughly 1 millisecond of simulation time.Koshic et al, "The structure and physical properties of a packaged bacteriophage particle," Nature 2024.For more information, visit https://bionano.physics.illinois.edu.
A new temperature responsive composite material NewsAtIllinois 2023-11-28 | This video explains the workflow to develop a new composite material capable of responding to temperature changes to perform a simple task. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/125665569 and https://zhang.cee.illinois.edu/. Video courtesy Shelly Zhang and Science Advances, volume 9, issue 47, November 22, 2023.
Preserving the sound of the Altgeld Chimes NewsAtIllinois 2023-05-12 | The Altgeld Chimes players recorded chimes music to preserve their sound while they are silent during the renovation of Altgeld Hall.For more, go to https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/316075456.
Researchers reveal real-time glimpse into growth habits of nanoparticles NewsAtIllinois 2023-03-30 | This video shows an advanced computer simulation of how cube-shaped nanoparticles interact to form solid materials. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/4299414. Video courtesy Qian Chen research group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Logan-Wolynes theory: predicting energy transfer in a chlorophyll model NewsAtIllinois 2023-02-24 | The cone shape oscillating between "Exciton 1" and "Exciton 2" represents energy flow between two chlorophyll molecules. Two cases of energy transfer are illustrated: The energy transfer occurs in a directed, orderly way (top) and transferred energy is dissipated randomly as heat (bottom). For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/370934530. Video courtesy Chenghao Zhang and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221690120.
Click beetle-inspired jumping robot developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. NewsAtIllinois 2023-01-23 | This video shows high-speed camera video frames of the actuator snap-through and the ground interaction process for the SyP and SyP+, the highest jumping designs of the variations of the click beetle-inspired robots that the team fabricated. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/448046594. Video courtesy Sameh Tawfick and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Remote control electronic biobots NewsAtIllinois 2023-01-18 | By integrating light-sensitive biological muscle tissue, 3D printed scaffolding and wireless microelectronics, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nothwestern University created a first-of-its-kind class of remote controlled hybrid "eBiobots."For more information, see "Remote control of muscle driven miniature robots with battery-free wireless optoelectronics," published in Science Robotics.
People of the Ecotone NewsAtIllinois 2022-12-14 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Robert Morrissey discusses the ecology of the tallgrass prairies of the Midwest and how it shaped the cultures and created unique opportunities for the Indigenous people who lived there. Morrissey wrote about the intersection of environmental history and the history of Native peoples in early America in his book “People of the Ecotone.”
Building the model of our galaxy’s black hole NewsAtIllinois 2022-05-12 | This animation shows theoretical models of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. The Event Horizon Telescope theory working group, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign team, built hundreds of models and then compared them one by one to measurements made by the EHT and other telescopes. The animation shows a buildup as more models are added to the library, and then a cut down as they are eliminated by comparison with the data. The final image shows a high-resolution image of the best-bet model, which features a spinning black hole surrounded by a strongly magnetized plasma, seen nearly face on. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1803859399.
Digital synthesis with multiple materials NewsAtIllinois 2022-02-28 | A video detailing how optimization theory, topology and computer algorithms can be used to design multimaterial structures with prescribed characteristics. For more information, visit the Illinois News Bureau at https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/897810455.
Synthetic morphogenesis of polymide membranes. NewsAtIllinois 2022-02-23 | A video illustration of electron tomography used to reconstruct the 3D morphology of polyamide membranes. Video courtesy Qian Chen. For more information, visit the Illinois News Bureau press release at https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1945681133.
Mantis shrimp-inspired camera provides second opinion during cancer surgery NewsAtIllinois 2021-05-05 | Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have turned their gaze to the natural world to develop a camera inspired by the mantis shrimp that can visualize cancer cells during surgery. VVideo courtesy Steven Drake/Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. For more information, visit bit.ly/3ela3gD and https://biosensors.web.engr.illinois.edu/team-view/viktor-gruev/.
Tsunami generation by strike slip fault motion within a bay NewsAtIllinois 2021-05-03 | The video shows a schematic of a general cross-section across the bay showing how horizontal motions lead to vertical displacement of the sea surface concurrent with the rapid passage of the rupture during the dynamic phase. As the rupture moves along the strike-slip fault, the coastal slopes move landward, left side, and seaward, right side, causing an instantaneous sloshing motion in the bay. Video courtesy Ahmed Elbanna. For more information, visit bit.ly/3e5rMIR.
Strike-slip fault generated tsunami model NewsAtIllinois 2021-05-03 | The video shows the evolution of an earthquake-induced tsunami in a bay traversed by a strike-slip fault. Colors indicate the sea surface height relative to the undisturbed water level showing that the wave height may exceed 2 meters at some places. Video courtesy Ahmed Elbanna. For more information, visit bit.ly/3e5rMIR.
Loading and unloading cycles of the new oxazine mechanophore films NewsAtIllinois 2021-03-25 | Mechanophores change color when a stress is applied to the bonds that connect them to a polymer chain. The new mechanophores are bonded to polymer chains using an oxazine arrangement scheme. The new structure allows for an instantaneous and reversible color change. Video courtesy Chem, vol. 99, issue 9. For more information, visit sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451929421000942.
Loading and unloading cycles of the spiropyran mechanophore films NewsAtIllinois 2021-03-25 | Mechanophores change color when a stress is applied to the bonds that connect them to a polymer chain. These mechanophores are bonded to polymer chains using a spiropyran arrangement scheme. This arrangement does not allow for the instantaneous and reversible color change seen in mechanphores using the oxazine structural motif. Video
Puma feeding on deer carcass in grass NewsAtIllinois 2021-03-17 | Researchers tracked pumas for two years in Mendocino National Forest in northern California and discovered that black bears were stealing a lot of the pumas' food. For more about the research, see: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1026613190This is a video of a puma (also known as a mountain lion or cougar) at a kill site. The big cat is alert for signs of any intruders as it slowly picks away at the carcass. It is wearing a GPS collar, which the researchers attached for tracking the animal's location on the landscape. The team also placed camera traps at sites where pumas made their kills.
Black bear feeding on deer carcass NewsAtIllinois 2021-03-17 | In a two-year camera-trap study of pumas in Mendocino National Forest in northern California, researchers discovered that black bears were moving in on puma kills of adult deer, stealing the meat from the pumas (also known as mountain lions, cougars). This camera trap of the site where a puma killed a deer shows a bear eating the remains. For more about the research, see: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1026613190
Puma feeding on fawn NewsAtIllinois 2021-03-17 | Researchers tracked pumas (also known as mountain lions or cougars) in the Mendocino National Forest in northern California, and found that black bears were stealing the cats' kills, reducing the pumas' caloric intake. For more about the research, see: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1026613190 Perhaps as a result, the pumas killed deer more frequently and also killed and ate fawns, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and other smaller prey. This is a camera-trap video of one of the study pumas. It is wearing a GPS collar, which the researchers used for tracking. It is eating a fawn.
Latch, load and release: Elastic motion makes click beetles click. NewsAtIllinois 2021-01-18 | Click beetles can propel themselves more than 20 body lengths into the air, and they do so without using their legs. While the jump's motion has been studied in depth, the physical mechanisms that enable the beetles' signature clicking maneuver have not. A new study examines the forces behind this super-fast energy release and provides guidelines for studying extreme motion, energy storage and energy release in other small animals like trap-jaw ants and mantis shrimps.For more information, visit https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/6367/589930360.
Octopus-inspired thin tissue transfer NewsAtIllinois 2020-10-16 | A soft, octopus-sucker-inspired device can transfer thin, fragile sheets of cells, tissue or flexible electronics in about ten seconds. From the paper "Electrothermal soft manipulator enabling safe transport and handling of thin cell/tissue sheets and bioelectronic devices" published in Science Advances. For more information, visit http://faculty.scs.illinois.edu/hjkong.
Sounds of Megatibicen dorsatus, the giant grassland cicada NewsAtIllinois 2020-09-23 | Megatibicen dorsatus calls from the stem of a prairie plant in Illinois. Some compare its call to the rattle of an old tractor. Researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey are conducting a long-term study of prairie cicadas across the state. For more information, go to https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/6367/1101498406.
A rapid COVID-19 test and portable instrument prototype NewsAtIllinois 2020-08-31 | University of Illinois, Urbnana-Champaign researchers developed a quick 30-minute COVID-19 test and integrated it with a portable, point-of-care device that bypasses the need to send samples to the lab.Data reported in PNAS, “Rapid isothermal amplification and portable detection system for SARS-CoV-2” by Ganguli, et al.
Liquid phase electron microscopy with combined machine learning in action. NewsAtIllinois 2020-08-24 | Multi-object tracking of particle boundaries using U-Net machine learning to reveal the curvature-dependent, staged etching dynamics of gold nanorods. Video courtesy ACS and Qian Chen Group, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For more information, visit pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.0c00430.
Sanitizing N95 respirator masks in an electric multi-cooker NewsAtIllinois 2020-08-10 | A University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign study found that 50 minutes in an electric cooker, such as a rice cooker or Instant Pot, decontaminated N95 respirators, both inside and out, while maintaining their filtration and fit. The researchers note that the heat must be dry heat – no water added to the cooker – and a small towel should cover the bottom of the cooker to keep any part of the respirator from coming into direct contact with the heating element. The P3 setting seen on the video is the rice cooking preset on the model used. The researchers recommend consulting your user's manual for a setting that will maintain around 212 F for 50 minutes. An FAQ document can be found at docs.google.com/document/d/1pPZtSaLi6wKQa3idotWWiOPbmgWCp0DDQHzKI0y0ijY.The authors assume no responsibility for people or entities using this content in any way, and we do not recommend deviating from the method and materials described and shown in this video and the paper, found at pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00534.
Researchers mimic nature for fast, colorful 3D printing. NewsAtIllinois 2020-06-10 | This image of a chameleon is printing from a modified consumer 3D printer. The color of each line is controlled by fine-tuning the speed at which the printing nozzle moves across a temperature-controlled surface. For more information on this technology, visit (https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/6367/809468). Video courtesy Diao Research Group (http://diao.scs.illinois.edu/Diao_Lab/Home.html).
Archaeologists explore an ancient causeway NewsAtIllinois 2020-05-05 | Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are exploring a causeway in the ancient city of Cahokia near present-day St. Louis. With his colleagues, Timothy Pauketat, the director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the Prairie Research Institute at the U. of I., hypothesizes that the people who built Cahokia considered the causeway a bridge from the land of the living to the land of the dead. For more about their exploration and hypotheses, see “Rediscovering a path to the Milky Way.”
Two layer T-shirt fabric droplet test NewsAtIllinois 2020-05-01 | Water is mixed with fluorescent nanoparticles to mimic the coronavirus and then forced through a double-layer of T-shirt fabric at a high momentum to test droplet blocking. Video courtesy Taher Saif. For more information, visit medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.19.20071779v1.
One layer T-shirt fabric droplet test NewsAtIllinois 2020-05-01 | Water is mixed with fluorescent nanoparticles to mimic the coronavirus and then forced through a single-layer of T-shirt fabric at a high momentum to test droplet blocking. Video courtesy Taher Saif. For more information, visit medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.19.20071779v1.
Medical mask droplet test NewsAtIllinois 2020-05-01 | Water is mixed with fluorescent nanoparticles to mimic the coronavirus and then forced through a medical/dental-quality face mask at a high momentum to test droplet blocking. Video courtesy Taher Saif. For more information, visit medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.19.20071779v1.
Trophallaxis in bees NewsAtIllinois 2020-04-27 | EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 2 P.M. CDT APRIL 27 (MONDAY)Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed an automated system to study bees engaged in trophallaxis, a process by which honey bees exchange regurgitated food and other liquids. They used this system to study how infection with the Israeli acute paralysis virus might affect the bees’ trophallaxis social network. The researchers tagged honey bees with the equivalent of a QR code and taught their automated system to recognize when trophallaxis was occurring between bees, as can be seen here near the center of the screen. They discovered that infected bees engage in trophallaxis with their nest mates less often than healthy bees do. For more information about this study, go to https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367
TerraSentia robot examines corn NewsAtIllinois 2020-03-24 | The TerraSentia robot counts corncobs to estimate yield. Video courtesy Girish Chowdhary.
TerraSentia robot navigates a cornrow NewsAtIllinois 2020-03-24 | The TerraSentia robot gets under a crop’s canopy to help with monitoring, weeding and spraying. Video courtesy Girish Chowdhary.
Aerolysin nanopore NewsAtIllinois 2019-12-17 | In this computer simulation, a portion of a protein moves through an aerolysin nanopore. The nanopore can differentiate among all 20 amino acids, the first step to complete protein sequencing. The researchers used detailed simulations that mapped each atom, and confirmed their findings experimentally. Animation courtesy of Aleksei Aksimentiev, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information, visit https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/805161.
Nanoparticle crystallization pathway NewsAtIllinois 2019-10-28 | A 3D illustration of the ordered supracrystal with individual nanoscale building blocks wiggling during liquid-phase electron microscopy imaging. Video created by Yosung An. For more information, please visit chenlab.matse.illinois.edu and sites.google.com/view/hyosungan/welcome.
Liquid crystal polymer transformation NewsAtIllinois 2019-08-09 | The video shows twisted polymers transitioning to a liquid crystal phase forming polymer helixes, which can be flattened by printing flow. Video courtesy Ying Diao, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information, visit http://diao.scs.illinois.edu.
Force-guided delivery of DNA molecule to a nanopore NewsAtIllinois 2019-08-05 | The video shows a supercomputer simulation of a force-guided DNA molecular as it is directed down a spiral defect in a graphene nanopore. Video courtesy of Manish Shankla. This work is from the research group of Aleksei Aksimentiev, physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information, visit http://bionano.physics.illinois.edu.
DNA on graphene steps NewsAtIllinois 2019-08-05 | The video shows a supercomputer simulation of a DNA molecule, directed by a force, moving down and up fabrication-formed step defects along the surface of a graphene membrane. Video courtesy Manish Shankla. This work is from the research group of Aleksei Aksimentiev, professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information, visit http://bionano.physics.illinois.edu.
Finding water closer to home NewsAtIllinois 2018-10-09 | Geoscientists Without Borders works with the village of Jimu, Malawi, to install a water pump. To learn more: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/703735
Microbubble scrubber destroys dangerous biofilms NewsAtIllinois 2018-09-18 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers developed a new system that uses microbubbles to propel tiny particles through the surface of these tough biofilms to break the films apart and deliver an antiseptic deathblow to the microbes living inside. This video shows the deformation of an E. coli-containing biofilm by microbubbles produced from manganese oxide-doped diatoms reacting with hydrogen peroxide within a 50 micron-wide confined space. Video courtesy Hyunjoon Kong. For more information, visit http://www.scs.illinois.edu/hjkong.
