Category Science & Technology

Online map allows visitors, naturalists to share Arboretum experience

November 1, 2010

If the UW Arboretum were just a pretty place to take a walk, its new Interactive Map wouldn't need much more than crisscrossing trails, grey blobs for parking lots and symbols marking the restrooms.

Expanding croplands chipping away at world’s carbon stocks

November 1, 2010

Nature's capacity to store carbon, the element at the heart of global climate woes, is steadily eroding as the world's farmers expand croplands at the expense of native ecosystem such as forests.

Curiosities: Why do stars appear to twinkle in the night sky?

November 1, 2010

Courtesy European Space Agency (ESA/Hubble). Stars twinkle because we view them through our atmosphere, says James Lattis, director of University of Wisconsin–Madison…

Chemists concoct new agents to easily study critical cell proteins

November 1, 2010

They are the portals to the cell, gateways through which critical signals and chemicals are exchanged between living cells and their environments.

Vampire-inspired blood thinner begins new round of trials

October 29, 2010

Jahn to step down as UW–Madison ag and life sciences dean

October 28, 2010

University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin and Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. today (Oct. 28) announced that Molly Jahn, who has led UW–Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences since 2006, will step down as dean of the college, effective Jan. 1.

New technique shows 50-year history of toxic algae in Lake Wingra

October 28, 2010

As public health officials worry about rising concentrations of cyanobacteria - often called blue-green algae - in lakes, scientists are concerned that a warming climate will stimulate the growth of cyanobacteria.

Study: Mountain vegetation impacted by climate change

October 25, 2010

Climate change has had a significant effect on mountain vegetation at low elevations in the past 60 years, according to a study done by the University of California at Davis, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and U.S. Geological Survey.

Common anxiety disorders make it tougher to quit cigarettes

October 25, 2010

Researchers may have pinpointed a reason many smokers struggle to quit.

Peace of mind closes health gap for less educated

October 25, 2010

Psychological well-being is powerful enough to counteract the pull of socioeconomic status on the long-term health of the disadvantaged, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Wildlife health-reporting tools may help prevent human illness

October 25, 2010

Two new tools that enable the public to report sick or dead wild animals could also lead to the detection and containment of wildlife disease outbreaks that may pose a health risk to people.

Entrepreneur translates research into health solutions

October 21, 2010

David Beebe’s quest is innovation, both in the laboratory and the marketplace. David Beebe, an electrical engineer turned cancer researcher, says the…

Symposium addresses ethics, standards, beneficiaries of research

October 20, 2010

Drawing on issues raised by this year’s Go Big Read selection, a fall symposium will address responsible conduct and ethical decision-making in research.

New nano techniques integrate electron gas-producing oxides with silicon

October 19, 2010

In cold weather, many children can't resist breathing onto a window and writing in the condensation. Now imagine the window as an electronic device platform, the condensation as a special conductive gas, and the letters as lines of nanowires.

Go Big Read gets a fast start on campus; author to visit on Oct. 25

October 19, 2010

Go Big Read, UW–Madison's common reading program, is off to a vigorous start. Some 5,000 copies of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," by Rebecca Skloot, were given away in September at the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students.

Plant family tree may help identify species vulnerable to invaders, climate change

October 18, 2010

Change has been the norm for Wisconsin's forests over the last 50 years, and the next 50 are unlikely to pass quietly.

Curiosities: Why do some planets have rings?

October 18, 2010

Saturn imaged by the Cassini Orbiter. Image: courtesy Jet Propulsion Lab Planetary ring systems are complicated, notes UW Space Place…

University Research Park has an $825 million annual impact, study says

October 12, 2010

Invasive shrubs increase spread of tick-borne disease

October 11, 2010

For a hungry tick, bush honeysuckle is as good as a drive-through.

Team receives funds to advance development of production method for medical isotopes

October 4, 2010

An acute shortage of a medical isotope needed by tens of thousands of medical patients daily will be addressed through a federal funding agreement reached Sept. 30 to advance pioneering technology developed at a Middleton, Wis., company and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.