Skip to main content

Category Science & Technology

Morgridge Institute for Research announces scientific leadership team, research areas

February 10, 2010

The Morgridge Institute for Research has finalized its inaugural team of top scientists selected to bring to life the institute's mission of accelerating discovery to delivery to improve human health. Read More

Location technology homes in on where stuff, people are

February 9, 2010

If you commute by mass transit in Madison or Chicago, Jignesh Patel can tell you, to the minute, when your bus will pull up to your stop. He can do this no matter the weather or traffic conditions. Read More

New UW–Madison agronomist leads international corn-breeding project

February 5, 2010

When corn breeder Kevin Pixley arrived on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in November, one of the first things he had to do was learn to use the word "corn." Read More

Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay?

January 29, 2010

Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to research that was presented today (Jan. 29). Read More

Federal grant funds production of stem cells for clinical trials

January 26, 2010

The long struggle to move the most versatile stem cells from the laboratory to the clinic got another boost with an $8.8 million contract award to the Waisman Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More

Expectant mom’s flu exposure stunts baby’s brain development

January 25, 2010

For expectant mothers, catching even a mild case of the flu could stunt brain development in their newborns, according to a new study conducted in rhesus macaques. Read More

Air-quality improvements offset climate policy costs

January 22, 2010

The benefits of improved air quality resulting from climate change mitigation policies are likely to outweigh the near-term costs of implementing those policies, according to a new study. Read More

Science writer tackles Darwin’s ‘Secret Life’

January 20, 2010

Charles Darwin let more than two decades pass between his return to England aboard HMS Beagle and the publication of "Origin of the Species." Read More

In sync: Squid, glowing companions march in genetic harmony

January 19, 2010

Most humans are blissfully unaware that we owe our healthful existence to trillions of microbes that make their home in the nooks and crannies of the human body, primarily the gut. Read More

UW-Madison scientists create super-strong collagen

January 12, 2010

A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has created the strongest form of collagen known to science, a stable alternative to human collagen that could one day be used to treat arthritis and other conditions that result from collagen defects. Read More

Regulatory network balances stem cell maintenance, differentiation

January 11, 2010

While much of the promise of stem cells springs from their ability to develop into any cell type in the body, the biological workings that control that maturation process are still largely unknown. Read More

Migratory birds bear brunt of climate-charged weather

January 11, 2010

As global climate change fuels more frequent and intense hurricanes and droughts, migratory birds, especially those whose populations are already in decline, will bear the brunt of such climate-fueled weather, suggest a pair of new studies. Read More

UW-Madison happiness research featured in NOVA documentary

January 4, 2010

A PBS/NOVA documentary on the nature of human happiness, premiering this week, features University of Wisconsin–Madison professors Seth Pollak and Richard Davidson, and was produced with guidance from professor Roseanne Clark. "This Emotional Life" will air on PBS in three episodes to be aired on Wisconsin Public Television at 9 p.m. CST on Jan. 4, 11 and 18. Read More

Conservation areas threatened nationally by housing development

December 28, 2009

Conservationists have long known that lines on a map are not sufficient to protect nature because what happens outside those boundaries can affect what happens within. Now, a study by two University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists in the department of forest and wildlife ecology measures the threat of housing development around protected areas in the United States. Read More

Compound found to safely counter deadly bird flu

December 28, 2009

The specter of a drug-resistant form of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza is a nightmare to keep public-health officials awake at night. Read More

Depression saps endurance of the brain’s reward circuitry

December 28, 2009

A new study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion. Read More

Stellar mosh pit, complete with crashing stars, resolves a mystery

December 23, 2009

For almost 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over the youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers. Read More

Dental delight! Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals

December 21, 2009

Some of the most common minerals in biology, including those in bones and shells, have a mysterious structure: Their crystals are positioned in the same orientation, making them behave as one giant crystal, even though they do not look like a faceted crystal. Read More

Surveying bird biodiversity from space?

December 16, 2009

A fundamental rule of wildlife ecology says that diverse habitats foster greater biodiversity: The Amazon has far more species than Greenland. But how do habitat and biodiversity relate in a state like Wisconsin, with its range of farms, forests, wetlands, cities, suburbs and highways? Read More

Fighting the Grinch who stole Wisconsin’s Christmas trees

December 15, 2009

An entomology research team from UW–Madison aims to squash a grub that plagues as many as one-third of Wisconsin’s approximately 1,100 Christmas tree farms. Read More