Category Science & Technology
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
UW eye researchers key to major study of diabetic eye disease
University of Wisconsin–Madison ophthalmologists analyzed thousands of eye photographs as part of a large study that says reducing blood lipid levels slows the progression of diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye problem and a major cause of blindness worldwide. Read More
Stirring the ocean: Calculating the role of the oceans’ swimmers
The world's oceans, we know, are constantly shaken and stirred by the winds and the tides and other physical forces of nature. Read More
TIP/High school students get hands-on with CSI science
Students from five Madison high schools are getting a first-hand view of cutting-edge forensic science and its high-tech tools this week on the campus of… Read More
Changing sounds are key to understanding speech
On the printed page, c*ns*n*nts m*tt*r m*r* th*n v*w*ls. Read More
Incidence of malaria jumps when Amazon forests are cut
Establishing a firm link between environmental change and human disease has always been an iffy proposition. Now, however, a team of scientists from UW–Madison, writing in the online issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, presents the most enumerated case to date linking increased incidence of malaria to land-use practices in the Amazon. Read More
New technology promises to help drug makers go green
Production of a single kilogram of pharmaceuticals often yields hundreds of kilograms of chemical waste. Now, new chemistry developed by scientists at UW, combined with technology developed by researchers from Eli Lilly and Company, promises to dramatically reduce that waste stream for a key step in the pharmaceutical production process. Read More
QRM center gives Wisconsin company a bright future
Five years and a series of joint projects later, an ongoing partnership between the UW–Madison Center for Quick Response Manufacturing and a Milwaukee company is having significant results. Read More