Category Science & Technology
Astronomers discover how mysterious blue straggler stars stay young
Mysterious "blue stragglers" are old stars that appear younger than they should be: they burn hot and blue. Several theories have attempted to explain why they don't show their age, but, until now, scientists have lacked the crucial observations with which to test each hypothesis.
Patience paying off for long-term diabetes project
A decade of research in any field presents challenges, but for Alan Attie's lab group, years of persistence have opened up a new avenue to understanding diabetes.
Slide show: Northwoods partners
The complex interplay between the earth's climate on global and local levels drives UW–Madison atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Ankur Desai's research. In September, students from the soils and waters course at the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wis., joined Desai's team to get a look at the high-tech methods researchers use to monitor carbon flux — the movement of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in and out of plants, water and soil.
Research explores virus movement in Madison groundwater
According to the conventional wisdom, drinking water taken from a deep aquifer protected by a semi-permeable layer of rock should be protected from many contaminants, including viruses.
Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration
The same effect that ignites your gas grill with the push of a button could one day power sensors in your body via the respiration in your nose.
Clocking the mosh pit of interstellar space
The space between the stars in the Milky Way and all other galaxies is full of dust and gas, the raw materials from which stars and planets are made.
Stuff ‘n’ food: Can collectible toys overcome fascination with fast food?
Every parent seems to know what McDonald's knows: Food and toys outsell food alone. But could toys be used to promote the sale of healthy food as well as calorie-rich fast food?
Jumping gene enabled key step in corn domestication
In seeking to better understand how teosinte gave rise to corn, a scientific team has pinpointed one of the key genetic changes that paved the way for corn's domestication.
UW–Madison botanist plucks new flower from Isle Royale
One of the world's newest sunflower species, discovered by a University of Wisconsin–Madison botanist, has carved out a very small but safe niche on an island in Lake Superior.