Topic: Science

Hurricane Florence was nearing landfall on the North Carolina coast, bringing with it life-threatening storm surge, heavy rain and sustained winds of 90 miles per hour. Although downgraded to a Category 1 storm, the hurricane has grown larger and slowed its march inland — factors likely to contribute to potentially catastrophic flooding.

Track Hurricane Florence's progress toward the east coast with the video embedded in this story. The storm is expected to make landfall sometime Friday morning.

Hurricane Florence is growing in size and strength as it barrels toward the Southeastern U.S. for an expected landfall in the Carolinas later this week as an "extremely dangerous hurricane," according to the National Hurricane Center.

Each year thousands of families boat down the Middle Fork branch of the Illinois Vermilion River below an embankment that holds back 3.3 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash sludge stored in three large ponds. Coal ash pollution is leaching into the river, and the riverbank is eroding under the ponds. We examine what's a stake in this investigative report.

University of Illinois officials announced two big projects for the Urbana campus Wednesday: a new data science center and expansion of the Research Park. Both projects will get state funding as part of the Illinois Innovation Network, the U of I’s new statewide research enterprise.

While you can spot a meteor any time of year, the late summer is when the earth runs into the same comet dust trail that creates one of the most popular meteor showers for star gazers. 

Every year, an estimated 2 million Americans become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 die from these superbug infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stressing out over a seemingly negative or condescending work email can cause ripple effects that extend to relationships in the home, according to new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Scientific research could deliver transformative technologies to the food system over the next decade, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Advances in things like gene editing, data sharing and microbiology could make crops more resilient to climate change and livestock more environmentally sustainable.

When the body metabolizes omega-3 fatty acids, it creates endocannabinoids, a class of compounds that help reduce pain and inflammation. New research from the University of Illinois finds one class of these metabolites shows anti-cancer properties in mice.