Ideas and discoveries

• Increasing climate variability predicted to change vegetation patterns and wildfire risk Aug. 5, 2008 Climate models generally predict an increase in climate variability and extremes due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. Michael Notaro, a scientist in the UW-Madison Center for Climatic Research, has applied a dynamic global vegetation model to determine how year-to-year climate fluctuations will affect vegetation types and patterns and fire risk.
• New $8.9 million project aims to unlock stem cell secrets Aug. 4, 2008 Although scientists have had access to human embryonic stem cells for a decade, precisely how the all-purpose cell gives rise to all other cells in the body and why others do not remains a fundamental mystery of biology.
• New ‘urban research park’ offers jolt of electricity to Madison high-tech startups Aug. 4, 2008 After three decades of almost exponential commercial growth on Madison's west side, the University Research Park (URP) will pursue an opportunity to sink roots downtown with an innovative "urban research park" targeting high-technology entrepreneurs.
• Researcher finds that women are speaking up July 31, 2008 There's a whole industry of books and seminars that hinge on the premise that women somehow need to be "fixed" when it comes to communication and must change the way they talk and behave to advance their career.
• Landmark book on Wisconsin fishes is only a cast away online July 29, 2008 George C. Becker's "Fishes of Wisconsin" is the first comprehensive survey of the state's fish species and the environmental challenges they face. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1983, it remains the seminal reference to 157 fish species found in Wisconsin, many which are also found throughout much of the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins.
• Soil scientist's fascination with mineral yields plan for battling it July 29, 2008 A UW-Madison soil scientist may have found a solution to a pesky mineral that plagues wastewater engineers all over the country.
• Study: Surgical instrument size not suited to smaller hands July 25, 2008 The concept of one size fits all works with many things—smocks, baseball caps and inner tubes. But not disposable laparoscopic surgical instruments. So say the results of a survey of general surgery residents conducted by a group that included two surgeons at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
• CLA approved as food ingredient July 25, 2008 On July 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its finding that conjugated linoleic acid, known as CLA, is "generally regarded as safe" for use in foods. UW-Madison researchers have studied CLA since the 1970s.
• Study: No gender differences in math performance July 24, 2008 A team of scientists says that there aren't gender differences in math performance any longer.
• Coalition spreads the word in Wisconsin about free, low-cost health insurance July 23, 2008 Although more than 90 percent of Wisconsin residents have some form of private or public health insurance, that is little consolation to the estimated 500,000 who find themselves without coverage.
• NASA co-op pushes student to new frontier of vehicle design July 22, 2008 A UW-Madison mechanical engineering student is helping to develop the robotic equipment needed to clear lunar dust.
• Blood-related genetic mechanisms found important in Parkinson’s disease July 21, 2008 A finding by scientists at UW-Madison, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Ottawa may lead to new treatments for Parkinson's disease.
• Scattered nature of Wisconsin's woodlands could complicate forests' response to climate change July 14, 2008 If a warmer Wisconsin climate causes some northern tree species to disappear in the future, it's easy to imagine that southern species will just expand their range northward as soon as the conditions suit them.
• A 'red flag' for expanding biofuels in the tropics July 9, 2008 Biofuels, by recycling atmospheric carbon, are a potential boon to the world's ailing climate. But efforts in the tropics to significantly expand biofuel production by replacing tropical forests with oil palm, sugarcane and other agricultural biofuels could, in fact, accelerate climate change, according to a new study published this week (July 9).
• Flu-infected fly cells reveal dependencies of the virus July 9, 2008 By giving fly cells the flu, scientists have identified scores of host genes the pathogen requires for successful infection, revealing a raft of potential new pressure points to thwart the virus.
• Zero-gravity team finds spray cooling works in space July 8, 2008 For the 10th consecutive year, University of Wisconsin-Madison students have found themselves floating upside down over the Gulf of Mexico.
• Green snowmobile logs first month at Arctic research station July 3, 2008 An electric snowmobile built by student members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering Clean Snowmobile Team is now in Greenland, on loan to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the summer to support climate research projects at the Greenland Environmental Observatory (GEO Summit Camp).
• Ice creamier: ‘Edible antifreeze’ puts the smooth in smoothie July 1, 2008 It's Friday night, and the movie's already spinning in the DVD player. You run to the kitchen to grab a gallon of ice cream and a spoon, but you find the tub nearly empty.
• Political science researchers partner to improve Wisconsin elections June 30, 2008 University of Wisconsin-Madison political science researchers are taking a key role in a federally funded project to improve the state's ability to collect accurate election returns.
• Airless tire project may prove a lifesaver in military combat June 26, 2008 An ambitious startup company in Wausau is working on a project to develop tires that can withstand extreme punishment, even those meted out in military combat zones.