Category Science & Technology
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
UW School of Veterinary Medicine advances spinal cord injury treatments
A full recovery from a spinal cord injury? Don't hold your breath.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.