Category Science & Technology
Arboretum director to return to teaching
Kevin McSweeney, a University of Wisconsin–Madison soil scientist who has directed the university's internationally famous Arboretum since 2004, announced this week that he is relinquishing that administrative post and returning to the faculty. Read More
UW–Madison names finalists for Nelson Institute director
UW-Madison has named three finalists for the director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Read More
Forest and Hawks named 2012 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Fellows
Katrina Forest, professor of bacteriology, and John Hawks, associate chair of Anthropology, have been selected by the Institute for Biology Education as Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Faculty Fellows for 2012. Read More
Two engineers named to national academy
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today (Feb. 9) announced it has named two UW–Madison engineers to its 2012 class of new members. Read More
Physics Department open house welcomes community
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Physics will throw open its doors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, for its fifth annual Physics Fair. Read More
Hunting could hurt genetic diversity of sandhill cranes, UW research suggests
As Wisconsin lawmakers debate whether to establish a hunting season for sandhill cranes, they may want to consider more than just the sheer number of birds, suggests a University of Wisconsin–Madison specialist in avian genetics. Read More
Study shows calories drive earlier puberty
Environmental pollutants, eating habits, lack of exercise and genetic traits have all been raised as possible causes of earlier puberty onset in girls in recent years. Now we may now know why: It's the calories, as reported by Ei Terasawa, Joe Kurian, Ricki Colman and colleagues at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Read More
Sturgeon “thunder” has roots in biological process
Research into the mysterious sounds that lake sturgeon produce resumes in April, or whenever the water warms to a temperature conducive for fish spawning, which is the best time to experience sturgeon “thunder.” Read More
Evolution’s oddities are focus of Darwin Day
The annual celebration of Charles Darwin’s birthday at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will highlight the evolutionary significance of strange life forms, including the octopus and enormous flowers. Read More
Smallest tools could give biggest results in bone repair
When William Murphy works with some of the most powerful tools in biology, he thinks about making tools that can fit together. These constructions sound a bit like socket wrenches, which can be assembled to turn a half-inch nut in tight quarters, or to loosen a rusted-tight one-inch bolt using a very persuasive lever. Read More
Neurons from stem cells could replace mice in botulinum test
Using lab-grown human neurons, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised an effective assay for detecting botulinum neurotoxin, the agent widely used to cosmetically smooth the wrinkles of age and, increasingly, for an array of medical disorders ranging from muscle spasticity to loss of bladder control. Read More
How does the compassionate brain, measured in the lab, predict what occurs in real life?
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers are launching a new series of studies to understand how laboratory measures of virtuous qualities such as compassion relate to their behavior in the real world. Read More
The Waisman Center: Decades later, what would Harry think?
Last fall, the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison bid successfully for the same National Institutes of Health core grant that the late Harry Waisman first won 45 years ago. Read More
Nature: Kawaoka authors commentary on flu research
The author of an upcoming Nature paper about H5N1 argues in a Nature Comment article today that research into deadly pathogenic viruses must continue if pandemics are to be prevented. Read More
Satellite renamed to honor UW–Madison space pioneer
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have renamed their newest Earth-observing satellite after Verner Suomi, a longtime UW–Madison professor who often is called the father of satellite meteorology. Read More
Suomi remembered for problem-solving ability, drive
Verner Suomi’s career — even his life — may not have been as long and illustrious had he not been an inveterate problem solver. Read More
Contest seeks amazing science images
Imaging has brought a revolution to science. Read More
Researcher find gene critical to sense of smell in fruit fly
UW-Madison researchers have discovered that a gene called distal-less is critical to the fly's ability to receive, process and respond to smells. Read More
Researchers outline food security, climate change road map
While last month's meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, made incremental progress toward helping farmers adapt to climate change and reduce agriculture's climate footprint, a group of international agriculture experts urges scientists to lay the groundwork for more decisive action on global food security in environmental negotiations in 2012. Read More