Meet Dr Matthew Niemiller, Associate Ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He and his team earned top honors in IDT’s 2016 Sustainability Award contest and will receive $14,000 in IDT product credit. His project, titled, “Is Out of Sight Really Out of Mind? Environmental DNA Detection […]

Every plant and animal has a unique genetic composition, which makes a lake like a bowl of DNA soup—every spoonful contains the combined DNA of the lake’s inhabitants. Scientists have recently begun using this environmental DNA, or eDNA, to identify the presence of organisms like amphibians and fish. Using eDNA to monitor hard-to-detect species can provide early warnings of invasion. ACES aquatic ecologist […]

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An iconic bird whose booming mating calls once reverberated across “the Prairie State” can survive in Illinois with the help of periodic human interventions, researchers report. Read the entire story here.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Using head shape and genetic analyses, new research challenges the formerly designated subspecies within the western rattlesnake species. These findings have important implications for ecological conservation efforts across the United States and could provide the basis for new species designations. Read the full story from the U of I News Bureau here.