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Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) production will need to be improved to meet future food demands in Sub‐Saharan Africa. The selection of high‐yielding cassava cultivars requires a better understanding of storage root development. Additionally, since future production will happen under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]), cultivar selection should include responsiveness to elevated [CO2]. Five farmer‐preferred African cassava cultivars were grown for three and a half months in a Free Air CO2 Enrichment experiment in central Illinois. Compared to ambient [CO2] (~400 ppm), cassava storage roots grown under elevated [CO2] (~600 ppm) had a higher biomass with some cultivars having lower storage root water content. The elevated [CO2] stimulation in storage root biomass ranged from 33% to 86% across the five cultivars tested documenting the importance of this trait in developing new cultivars. In addition to the destructive harvests to obtain storage root parameters, we explored ground penetrating radar as a nondestructive method to determine storage root growth across the growing season. Summary statement: Elevated [CO2] stimulated storage roots biomass early in their development and decreased their water content. This decrease in the water content impacted the radar signal from the roots when the ground‐penetrating radar was tested for in‐field storage root monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• OSL ages and GPR data work together to differentiate sand units. • Of particular significance is the KKK1 site, where more than 7 m of eolian sand provided 5 ages within the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC). This alignment of YDC-aged dune formation in the Kankakee dunefield with similar findings in other dunefields across the Great Lakes region suggests a prevailing dry climate during the YDC. • While most previous records of the YDC are based on indirect proxy data or pollen analysis, this study provides a tangible example of a visible landscape response—the construction of sand dunes—to the rapid climatic changes that occurred during the YDC. The southern side of the Kankakee River Valley in Illinois and Indiana features an eolain landscape comprising dunes and sand sheets. These dunes are mostly parabolic in shape, ranging in height from 4 to 7 m, occasionally reaching up to 15 m. Due to limited natural exposures and fresh road cuts, three dunes were accessed for sampling through hand auguring for optically stimulated luminescence dating. To enhance our understanding of the subsurface stratigraphy, ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted, the results of which revealed that the age variations obtained were consistent with changes from both GPR imagery and field observations. All three sampled sites indicated ages within the Younger Dryas chronozone (YDC, 12.8–11.7 ka). Notably, site KKK1 exhibited about 7 m of eolian sand, with five ages falling within the YDC. This construction of dunes during the YDC coincides with the majority of dune fields in the Great Lakes region, suggesting that the rapid climatic changes during the YDC played a crucial role in the observed dune construction here and the wider Great Lakes region. The regional consistency implies a prevailing dry climate during the YDC. While most previous YDC records are based on proxy data such as fossil pollen and stable isotope data, this study provides a tangible example of visible landscape response, construction of sand dunes, to the rapid climatic change occurring during the YDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

February 2021 D We Proceeded On 23 The small American military outpost of Fort Kaskaskia (18031807), Illinois (Figure 1-2), played a pivotal role in the early days of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The remains of the Lewis and Clark-era Fort Kaskaskia (Illinois Archaeological Survey [IAS] site 11R612) as well as that of an earlier French fort (IAS site 11R326) of the same name are today contained within the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site in southwestern Illinois (Sidebars 1-3). And indeed, an interpretive sign erected within the center of the French Fort Kaskaskia during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial that features Michael Haynes' painting of Lewis and Clark's meeting with Captain Russell Bissell, then commander of the American Fort Kaskaskia, assures visitors that this was the case. [Extracted from the article]

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) production will need to be improved to meet future food demands in Sub-Saharan Africa. The selection of high-yielding cassava cultivars requires a better understanding of storage root development. Additionally, since future production will happen under increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations ([CO 2 ]), cultivar selection should include responsiveness to elevated [CO 2 ]. Five farmer-preferred African cassava cultivars were grown for three and a half months in a Free Air CO 2 Enrichment experiment in central Illinois. Compared to ambient [CO 2 ] (~400 ppm), cassava storage roots grown under elevated [CO 2 ] (~600 ppm) had a higher biomass with some cultivars having lower storage root water content. The elevated [CO 2 ] stimulation in storage root biomass ranged from 33% to 86% across the five cultivars tested documenting the importance of this trait in developing new cultivars. In addition to the destructive harvests to obtain storage root parameters, we explored ground penetrating radar as a nondestructive method to determine storage root growth across the growing season., (© 2022 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The article discusses efforts to study the archaeology of Nauvoo, Illinois, with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and its significance to to Mormon history as of autumn 2012. According to the article, Nauvoo was established by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) during the winter of 1838-1839. The article states that the LDS church began investing resources to restore Nauvoo in the 1960s. It also discusses the geology and archaeology of Nauvoo.