We’ve all realized over the years that talking causes distracted driving, but research from UIUC has proven that driving actually distracts one from talking. According to the research, driving impairs your ability to comprehend and use language.

“The previous findings made no sense to those of us who have studied language,”said Gary Dell, a psycholinguist in the department of psychology at Illinois and corresponding author on the study. “You might think that talking is an easy thing to do and that comprehending language is easy. But it’s not. Speech production and speech comprehension are attention-demanding activities, and so they ought to compete with other tasks that require your attention – like driving.”

The study reflects the tradeoffs that occur when people try to communicate while performing other tasks, Dell said. “The relative balance of attention to any two tasks is going to vary,” he said. “And perhaps we don’t understand one another as well as we should because of this. With modern technology, we’re talking more and more while we are doing other things, but we may be understanding one another less and less.”

Driven to distraction: New study shows driving hinders talking – UI News Bureau

Researchers at the Beckman Institute have proven that success in playing a video game is dependent upon the size of a specific brain structure.

The study adds to the evidence that specific parts of the striatum, a collection of distinctive tissues tucked deep inside the cerebral cortex, profoundly influence a person’s ability to refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environment.

Kirk Erickson, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh was lead author on the study. Ann Graybiel, an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research; and Arthur Kramer, a professor of psychology at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, were co-principal investigators on the study. Walter Boot, of Florida State University, also contributed to the research, which was conducted at Illinois.

“This study tells us a lot about how the brain works when it is trying to learn a complex task,” Erickson said. “We can use information about the brain to predict who is going to learn certain tasks at a more rapid rate.” Such information might be useful in education, where longer training periods may be required for some students, or in treating disability or dementia, where information about the brain regions affected by injury or disease could lead to a better understanding of the skills that might also need attention, he said.

Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts success – UI News Bureau

After unlocking the cow genome earlier this year, University of Illinois researchers, with help from an international team of scientists and genome-sequencing centers, have successful sequenced the pig genome. The animal is a red-haired Duroc pig from the UI south farms.

The draft sequence, which is about 98 percent complete, will allow researchers to pinpoint genes that are useful to pork production or are involved in immunity or other important physiological processes in the pig. It will enhance breeding practices, offer insight into diseases that afflict pigs (and, sometimes, also humans) and will assist in efforts to preserve the global heritage of rare, endangered and wild pigs. It also will be important for the study of human health because pigs are very similar to humans in their physiology, behavior and nutritional needs.

“We are excited to have the swine genome sequence and anticipate this will accelerate the rate of genetic improvement in swine as the bovine sequence is impacting the dairy industry’s genetic gains,” said Steve Kappes, deputy administrator of Animal Production and Protection for the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Thanks again, Illinois!

Wired is reporting that University of Illinois Professor of Biophysics Klaus Schulten has discovered a possible way that birds can tell direction.

The latest piece of the puzzle is superoxide, an oxygen molecule that may combine with light-sensitive proteins to form an in-eye compass, allowing birds to see Earth’s magnetic field.

“It connects from the subatomic world to a whole bird flying,” said Michael Edidin, an editor of Biphysical Journal, which published the study last week. “That’s exciting!”

Wired: Reverse-Engineering the Quantum Compass of Birds
Highlight, Theoretical and Biophysics Group
Full Publication, with link to PDF

Researchers at the university have developed a miniature photovoltaic cell that is printed on plastic, cloth and other materials. The cells are ultra-thin, semitransparent, and flexible which is a revolutionary development compared to the current standard.The technology has a variety of uses including putting solar cells on clothes, umbrellas, and plastic rolls.

The researcher, John A. Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his team use a standard printing technique to create solar cells that are a tenth the thickness of conventional semiconductor cells, or even thinner. The cells are so flexible that dense arrays of them can be rolled tightly around a pencil. The technology has been licensed to Semprius, a semiconductor company in Durham, N.C., that expects to begin a pilot project making solar modules in about a year. Dr. Rogers’s approach offers a unique strategy for making highly efficient, flexible solar cells for large-scale production, said Ali Javey, an electrical engineer and assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who co-wrote a review of the work for the journal Nature Materials.

This is a huge development in the commercialization of green technologies. Way to go Illinois!

Solar Tech: Not Just on the Roof Anymore – The New York Times

Photo: Peter Wynn Thompson for The New York Times

It was announced on Thursday, that a team of researchers has unlocked the DNA sequence of the cow. This is a phenomenal discovery that will help scientists in the future engineer cows to be stronger and healthier.

Having the genome sequence is now the window to understanding how these changes occurred, how ruminants ended up with four stomachs instead of one, how the cow’s immune system operates and how it is able to secrete large amounts of protein in its milk, said Harris Lewin, the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This resulted in breeds differing in milk yield, meat quality and a resistance to disease and pests, said Jerry Taylor, a University of Missouri professor who helped develop the map and write the paper.

Now that scientists have a better insight into the genetic makeup of cows, they can improve breeding, which will lead to better feed efficiency and meat production, he said.

It’s having an amazing impact on the animal industry, Taylor said

Thanks again, Illinois!

Team completes DNA sequence on cows – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Research from the University has recently concluded that drinking caffeine before a workout can reduce muscle soreness. Some 25 young men took part in the study where they were given a placebo or a caffeine pill prior to working out on two separate occasions. The men varied between those who drink coffee regularly and those who don’t.

The researchers found a statistically significant reduction in quadriceps muscle pain after giving the caffeine compared to the placebo pill. Both men accustomed to consuming caffeine and those who were not habitual caffeine drinkers demonstrated reduced pain with caffeine ingestion prior to exercise testing.

So as it turns out, coffee may be good for your health!

Thanks Illinois.

Muscles Sore After Exercise? Sip Caffeine – WebMD

Scientists at the University of Illinois have worked with other scientists around the world to discover a drug 200 times more active in killing tumor cells.

The drug class, which includes Fosamax, has been around for 40 years, and scientists have studied it in depth, Oldfield said.

In breast cancer treatments, the drugs, known as bisphosphonates, were added to combat osteoporosis as a side effect of treatment.

As an unexpected side effect of the bone-loss drugs, Oldfield says, there seems to be some action against breast tumors.

The results of the four year study appear in the latest issue of Journal of the American Chemical Society.
News-Gazette Story
Science Daily Story

A recent study by the University proves that canned foods are just as good for you as the fresh or frozen version.

Studies by universities — the University of Illinois conducted two, while the University of Massachusetts did another — confirmed that canned fruits and vegetables are comparable in nutrition to their fresh-cooked and frozen counterparts, making them a convenient and economical way for North Americans to eat healthy.

Most people shy away from canned foods claiming they are not fresh and that they taste bad. While both of these facts may be true, they are known to be cheaper and apparently just a nutritious as fresh food.

So save yourself some money this week and buy a can.

A can and a plan – Edmonton Sun

Researchers in the College of Engineering have recently published a paper outlining a self-healing coasting they have invented.

To make self-repairing coatings, the researchers first encapsulate a catalyst into spheres less than 100 microns in diameter (a micron is 1 millionth of a meter). They also encapsulate a healing agent into similarly sized microcapsules. The microcapsules are then dispersed within the desired coating material and applied to the substrate.

So when the surface of the coating is scratched, the catalyst and healing agent combine and repair the damage.

Now this is cool.

Full Story: New polymer coatings prevent corrosion, even when scratched