3-Aug-2026 Mitigating the soil carbon deficit of annual agriculture with perennial bioenergy crops in the U.S. Midwest University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment A recent Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) study explored the ability of perennial bioenergy crops to restore agricultural soils to pre-cultivation prairie conditions by comparing soil organic carbon under perennial bioenergy crops planted on former corn/soy fields to maize-based annual cropping and native prairie. Soil organic carbon increased in the first 5 years under mature bioenergy crops at four of seven sites. Journal Geoderma Funder U.S. Department of Agriculture
3-Aug-2026 Optimization of pre-commercial enzymes dosage for a potential lignocellulosic biorefinery University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) assessed enzyme dosages of cellulase and hemicellulase on hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulosic substrates to maximize sugar and ethanol yields and improve cost analysis. Optimal enzyme dosages for the selected feedstocks were identified for both sugar release and ethanol yield. These enzyme dosages could improve the overall bioprocess economics of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Journal Green Chemistry Funder U.S. Department of Agriculture
3-Aug-2026 Targeting aging cells could slow disc degeneration Thomas Jefferson University Thomas Jefferson University researchers identify promising strategy to preserve spinal discs before irreversible damage occurs. Journal Bone Research
3-Aug-2026 Social determinants of health linked to more fatalistic cancer beliefs Thomas Jefferson University A catchment area survey shows that people affected by many adverse factors are less likely to seek cancer screenings or treatment. Journal Journal of Psychosocial Oncology
3-Aug-2026 Unlocking plant-microbial interactions in deep Mollisols in the Midwestern US: Linking depth gradients in roots, microbial activity, and soil carbon in agroecosystems University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) assessed the distribution and assimilation of 13C-labeled simple carbon in meter-deep pits under mature perennial miscanthus stands. This work suggests that depth gradients in soil C stocks represent a balance between inputs, decomposition, and microbial necromass production and that increase in root C inputs by deep-rooted plants may have the potential to build stable MAOC. Journal Biogeochemistry Funder U.S. Department of Agriculture
3-Aug-2026 Triple drug combination shows promise against fatal blood cancer Thomas Jefferson University Thomas Jefferson University researchers identify strategy to eliminate leukemia stem cells Journal Science Advances
3-Aug-2026 Study shows gains in preschoolers’ executive function with additional teacher training University of Rhode Island A study performed by Sammy Ahmed, assistant professor of human development and family science in the University of Rhode Island College of Health Sciences, is shedding light on how much workshops and coaching help preschool teachers develop their students’ executive function. Journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly Funder U.S. Department of Education, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, American Educational Research Association
3-Aug-2026 Multisite field evaluation of oil accumulation and agronomic performance in grain and sweet sorghums engineered for lipid hyperaccumulation University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment In a new study by Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), researchers evaluated oil sorghum lines in Nebraska and Illinois over 2 years to quantify genotype-by-environment effects on agronomic performance and triacylglycerol accumulation. This study confirms vegetative lipid accumulation as a viable strategy for high-biomass sorghum, supporting its potential as a dual-purpose feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel. Journal Plant Biotechnology Journal Funder U.S. Department of Agriculture
3-Aug-2026 Finding a hidden culprit in quantum biosensors University of Chicago An interdisciplinary research from UChicago PME and the University of Iowa, originally aimed at making diamond-based quantum biosensors less toxic, less inflammatory, and overall easier on cells, unexpectedly revealed new insights that overturned a major assumption limiting the sensors' effectiveness. Journal Advanced Materials
3-Aug-2026 Simple, direct carboxylation method developed for use in heteraromatic compounds using CO2 Tsinghua University Press Chemistry isn’t always known for its sustainable methodologies and simple execution, though the possibilities for finding more direct and efficient ways to synthesize products are limitless. Conventional methods for modifying drug intermediates with the addition of a carboxyl group (a functional group consisting of a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen molecule, with a single bond to a hydroxyl group, or -OH) using carbon dioxide (CO2) in a process called carboxylation often are expensive, have poor stability and high activation energy costs. Alternatively, this study focuses on newer advances in the carboxylation of heteroaromatic compounds, which are organic molecules arranged in a ring format, making them very stable and necessary building blocks for many organic compounds. The advancements shown here use CO2 as a raw material to develop a greener, highly selective and efficient way to add CO2 to heteroaromatic compounds under mild conditions. Journal Polyoxometalates
