Don Ort and Dick Durbin in a growth chamber

Senator Durbin calls for more research funding after touring RIPE project

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin visited the RIPE project and said he hopes to increase federal funding for scientific research.

By: Jim Meadows | Illinois Public Media 

Amanda Cavanagh, tobacco seedlings

Reclaiming lost calories: Tweaking photosynthesis boosts crop yields

As the global population grows and diets change, we need to improve crop yields to increase food production by between 25 and 70% by 2050.

Global population growth graph

Plant researchers brace for population explosion

By 2050 the world will require nearly twice as much food. Three scientists explain how this feat may be possible without exacerbating climate change.

By  | Spiegel Online

Man picking fruit from tree

Will climate change cause food sources to dwindle?

The heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods that have become the norm in recent years have serious implications for the food supply.

By:  | WebMD Health News

Don Ort in a field inspecting a bagged plant

Wired In: Donald Ort

Wired In: Meet Donald Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Science and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois.

By: Paul Wood | The News-Gazette

tobacco seedlings

Plant scientists have found a way to 'hack' photosynthesis. Here's why that's a big deal

If the preliminary research pans out, we may have a new way to feed the world's growing population.

By: Denise Chow | NBC News

Modified versus unmodified tobacco plants

Scientists patch photosynthesis glitch to make plants grow 40 percent larger

Scientists from the University of Illinois have worked to correct for a flaw in photosynthesis which could improve crop yields by as much as 40%.

By: Ryan Whitwam || Medium