Category Science & Technology
H1N1 flu virus used new biochemical trick to cause pandemic
The influenza virus, scientists well know, is a crafty, shape-shifting organism, constantly changing form to evade host immune systems and jump from one species, like birds, to another, mammals. Read More
Study details autism’s heavy toll beyond childhood on marriages
The parents of grown children with autism are more likely to divorce than couples with typically developing children, according to new data from a large longitudinal study of families of adolescents and adults with autism. Read More
Curiosities: Is it true that cell phone use can cause health problems?
The major concern with the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones is brain cancer, but most studies find “nothing definitive,” says Bruce Thomadsen, a professor… Read More
Students size up seismic sensor sites
University of Wisconsin–Madison students Matthew Kogle and Kelly Hoehn logged thousands of miles this summer driving rural Wisconsin roads, scanning the landscape. When they found a promising spot, they knocked on the door of the nearest farmhouse and tried to interest the owners in their cause. Read More
IceCube spies unexplained pattern of cosmic rays
Though still under construction, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole is already delivering scientific results - including an early finding about a phenomenon the telescope was not even designed to study. Read More
Curiosities: What’s the difference between dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent and dish soap? Why aren’t they interchangeable?
All detergents — whether intended for hands, hair, clothes or dishes — work on the same principles: Break up oils and dirt and wash them… Read More
Curiosities: Why do people sometimes develop late in life an allergy that never bothered them before?
Most allergies — especially to airborne allergens associated with runny noses and itchy eyes — come on in the teenage years or early twenties, according… Read More
Global grassroots lake science network has roots in Wisconsin
Inspired and led by freshwater scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, researchers eager to understand global ecosystems from end to end are now monitoring a series of buoys in lakes on every continent except Africa. Each buoy carries instruments to measure fundamental data on the weather above the water and the temperature and chemistry below it. Read More
‘Condor’ brings genome assembly down to Earth
Borrowing computing power from idle sources will help geneticists sidestep the multimillion-dollar cost of reconstituting the flood of data produced by next-generation genome-sequencing machines. Read More
Screen yields drugs that could help treat fatal brain disorder
Using novel screens to sort through libraries of drugs already approved for use in human patients, a team of Wisconsin researchers has identified several compounds that could be used to treat a rare and deadly neurological disorder. Read More
Monkey generosity: No strings attached
Among monkeys that split child care responsibilities, sharing extends to dinnertime, but grudges do not, according to research published July 14 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Read More
Hormone study finds monkeys in long-term relationship look strangely human
Monkeys in enduring relationships show a surprising correspondence in their levels of oxytocin, a key behavioral hormone, according to research published online June 28 in the journal Hormones and Behavior. Read More
The audience laughs and applauds as the performers on stage pull trick after trick from their sleeves: suspending a ball in midair, defying gravity, turning water into ice right before people's eyes. Read More
Canine influenza vaccine found effective against secondary infections
Recent research by Ron Schultz, professor and chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has shown the newly approved Canine Influenza Virus (CIV) vaccine to be effective not only in reducing length, severity and spread of the virus, but also in protecting against secondary infections. Read More
Ecological restoration on lakeshore working on historic ground
The ongoing ecological restoration along the shoreline of the University of Wisconsin–Madison has reached a hillside near Eagle Heights that was once the summer home to hundreds of graduate students. The goal in the Tent Colony Woods, which is cut by gullies and invaded by exotic trees and shrubs, is to create a sustainable and ecologically diverse tract of sloping lakeshore forest. Read More
UW School of Veterinary Medicine advances spinal cord injury treatments
A full recovery from a spinal cord injury? Don't hold your breath. Read More
Before Rhythm and Booms, learn the science of fireworks
Before the first rocket lights up the night sky on Saturday (July 3), stake out a seat at the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and learn about the science behind Rhythm and Booms. Read More
Gene regulating human brain development identified
With more than 100 billion neurons and billions of other specialized cells, the human brain is a marvel of nature. It is the organ that makes people unique. Read More
Confronting toxic blue-green algae in Madison lakes
Harmful algal blooms, once considered mainly a problem in salt water, have been appearing with increasing severity in the Madison lakes, and a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has geared up to understand the when, where and why of these dangerous "blooms." Read More
Young UW–Madison freshwater scientists noted by Great Lakes group
Two researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology won major awards at the recent meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research in Toronto. Read More