Stories
Oct. 17, 2011
Sam’s Slab Lab
It is easy to overlook the drab MU Ag Building. But it is connected to a presidential library, the US Embassy in London, one of the most beautiful buildings in America, and a notorious crime boss.
April 25, 2011
Interrupting a Disease Process
Obesity changes a person's glucose and fat metabolism, leading to insulin resistance that triggers chronic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular illness. James Perfield, assistant professor at the University of Missouri specializing in nutrition and the physiology of metabolic diseases, has identified a plant oil that seems to interrupt the development of obesity-triggered insulin resistance.
Nov. 18, 2010
Safer Turkey Dinners
Food scientists at the University of Missouri have developed a faster and more accurate way to test poultry and eggs for live salmonella contamination. The DNA-based process provides results in as little as 2-5 hours versus up to five days for current testing techniques that culture samples in a Petri dish. The technique can allow the poultry industry to test for contamination before product is shipped, thus avoiding costly recalls.
Oct. 6, 2010
Post-Nuclear Adaptation
Scientists studying the ecological legacy of the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power station have found surprising evidence that some plants can adapt and even flourish in a highly radioactive environment. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Missouri, grew flax plants in a high radiation environment near the abandoned Chernobyl site and compared the seeds produced to those from plants grown in non-radioactive control plots.
Sep. 8, 2010
Healthier Snacks through Improved Soybeans
A research team, led by plant scientists at the University of Missouri, has created a soybean variant that produces oil that does not have to be hydrogenated before going into food – adding no trans-fat.
July 27, 2010
A Promising Plant Looks Even Better
A herbal remedy used by South African traditional healers to enhance immunity and slow the wasting of HIV/AIDS has passed the first part of a multi-part clinical study in that country. The next piece of the study, now beginning, will determine if anecdotal evidence of the plant’s benefits can be scientifically demonstrated.
May 5, 2010
Infection, Not Inflammation
Aided by a new experimental model, scientists are a step closer to understanding how cystic fibrosis (CF) causes lung disease in people with the condition. The findings, published online April 28 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, could help improve treatments for lung disease, which causes most of the deaths and disability among people with CF.
Nov. 16, 2009
Looking into Autism
Autism, a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, poor communication and repetitive behavior, is little understood. Physicians and psychologists must use behavioral tests to diagnose the problem as there are no objective medical tests to verify if a child has the problem. Xiaofei Fan earned his Ph.D. at MU in biological engineering with an emphasis on visual neuroscience. He is sitting by the computerized binocular infrared pulillography device, a machine that measures the time that the eye takes to react to a flash of light. A recently-completed research study at the University of Missouri…
Nov. 3, 2009
Healthy Ice Cream?
Ice cream researchers at the University of Missouri , who have been making ice cream tastier for more than a century, are working to make ice cream into a functional food, adding nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants and pro-biotics to premium ice cream.
July 1, 2009
From Pig Cells to Stem Cells
Investigators at the University of Missouri have developed the ability to take regular cells from pigs’ connective tissues, known as fibroblasts, and transform them into stem cells, eliminating several of these hurdles. The discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.