Science

We might have an answer to the pungent question in Central Illinois of late: Just what is that awful smell? It's likely a phenomenon called petrichor, according to a state climatologist.

A federal contribution to a new STEM/Science Lab Building at Illinois State University could come with the help of U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, who has requested funding for 15 projects in his district, including $15 million for the ISU building.

A central Illinois conservation group has acquired one of the few remaining remnants of Hill Prairie habitat in Illinois. It's called the "devil’s backbone," an old-time name for the jagged geography of the 55 acres near the Mackinaw River in Woodford County.

A central Illinois Chapter of the Audubon Society is distancing itself from the name of the founder of the national bird watching movement. The John Wesley Powell Chapter of the National Audubon Society has changed its name to the Grand Prairie Bird Alliance.

Penicillin could soon get a much-needed boost up in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

In an ironic twist, an Illinois Wesleyan University biologist has named a new species of snake after the actor Harrison Ford. In the iconic movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Ford's character Indiana Jones doesn’t like snakes.

Illinois State University staff is asking trustees to approve up to $14 million in borrowing to help finance the new Mennonite School of Nursing Simulation Lab Building. Trustees meet Friday to take up that issue and a number of other proposals.

A Bloomington family found a ring-tailed lemur in a garage, a long way from its native Madagascar.

The competition, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, is meant to help launch interest in aerospace engineering and the space industry among participating students.

Bloomington-Normal is not a bad place to be if you are a bird. That's according to a study done by Illinois Wesleyan University biologist Given Harper.