Category Science & Technology
Insect hearing inspires new approach to small antennas
Ormia ochracea is a small parasitic fly best known for its strong sense of directional hearing. A female fly tracks a male cricket by its chirps and then deposits her eggs on the unfortunate host. The larvae subsequently eat the cricket.
Curiosities: How high can bugs fly?
“We can pick up insects at 5,000 or 6,000 feet,” says Phil Pellitteri of the UW–Madison insect diagnostic lab. “But wind is a big…
Ancient Mesoamerican sculpture uncovered in southern Mexico
With one arm raised and a determined scowl, the figure looks ready to march right off his carved tablet and into the history books. If only we knew who he was - corn god? Tribal chief? Sacred priest?
World phosphorous use crosses critical threshold
Recalculating the global use of phosphorous, a fertilizer linchpin of modern agriculture, a team of researchers warns that the world's stocks may soon be in short supply and that overuse in the industrialized world has become a leading cause of the pollution of lakes, rivers and streams.
Forums to focus on ethics of animal research
Three forums on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus will highlight the ethics of animal research, Eric Sandgren, an associate professor of pathobiological sciences, announced today.
Leafcutter ant genome reveals secrets of fungus farming ways
Leafcutter ants, signature denizens of New World tropical forests, are unique in their ability to harvest fresh leaves to cultivate a nutrient-rich fungus as food.
Darwin celebration expands to three days
Forget the finches and orchids. UW–Madison’s 2011 Darwin Day celebration is all about you, Homo sapiens.
Program merges dual interests in science and policy
Melding of mind and policy matters is all in a day's work for the graduate students in the Neuroscience and Public Policy program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Report assesses climate change impacts, adaptation strategies
A statewide collaborative of scientists and diverse stakeholders is proposing a multitude of measures to help protect and enhance Wisconsin's natural resources, economic vitality, and public well-being as the state's climate becomes warmer and wetter.
Art from above: Satellites see Wisconsin
Few know that the genesis of observing the Earth's weather from space is a Wisconsin idea.
New induced stem cells may unmask cancer at earliest stage
By coaxing healthy and diseased human bone marrow to become embryonic-like stem cells, a team of Wisconsin scientists has laid the groundwork for observing the onset of the blood cancer leukemia in the laboratory dish.
Stan Temple: A life saving threatened species
As a UW–Madison wildlife professor, Stan Temple is heir to the outsized legacy of Aldo Leopold and, until his retirement, held the chair occupied by Leopold and his intrepid successor, Joe Hickey, the wildlife biologist whose work helped put the nails in the coffin of the insecticide DDT.
Rhythmic vibrations guide caste development in social wasps
Future queen or tireless toiler? A paper wasp's destiny may lie in the antennal drumbeats of its caretaker.
Center helps identify economic impact of traffic on truck-borne freight
The 2010 Urban Mobility Report, the most accurate picture of traffic congestion in 439 U.S. urban areas, now includes information about truck delay and the economic impact of congestion specific to trucking.
Designer aims to improve student-centered learning in engineering
When an exam comes back with an “A” grade, most students are thrilled, and rightfully so. Yet all too often, it doesn’t take long for the information students diligently crammed to fade as they prepare for another exam, creating a cycle, for some, of studying for tests rather than actually learning.
Stress, anxiety both boon and bane to brain
A cold dose of fear lends an edge to the here-and-now - say, when things go bump in the night.
Curiosities: Why do I get a streak of images from LED taillights when I scan the road at night? Is this dangerous?
You are seeing positive afterimages, says James Ver Hoeve, a vision scientist at University of Wisconsin–Madison. “If you stare at a bright red line…