Category Science & Technology
Fifty years of expanding girls’ horizons in science, math
The Expanding Your Horizons program, a daylong conference designed to expose young women to careers in science, technology, engineering and math, has touched thousands of Wisconsin women during its 50-year history at UW–Madison. Read More
Middle East air-quality study bridges borders
An unprecedented effort to collect air pollution data in the Middle East has united researchers in a region mired in conflict. Read More
Muscle mass maintenance under scrutiny
When muscles are not pressed into service, they begin to lose mass. Read More
Collaboration to enhance patient safety during blood collection, transfusion
The National Institute of Health (NIH), Health and Human Services has awarded a $1.4 million Small Business Technology Transfer grant to SysLogic Inc., the UW RFID Laboratory and the BloodCenter of Wisconsin. Read More
Curiosities: Is there a limit to how fast humans can be?
“In my opinion there are no limits,” says Tim Gattenby, a faculty associate in kinesiology at UW–Madison. “People said that no one could… Read More
New material could efficiently power tiny generators
To power a very small device like a pacemaker or a transistor, you need an even smaller generator. The components that operate the generator are smaller yet, and the efficiency of those foundational components is critical to the performance of the overall device. Read More
War of the viruses: Could ancient virus genes help fight modern AIDS?
Almost 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, scientists have yet to find an effective vaccine against HIV, the virus that destroys the immune system and causes AIDS. HIV is perhaps the most adaptive virus ever seen, not only evading the immune system, but also antiviral medicines. Read More
Carbon nanotubes may cheaply harvest sunlight
A new alternative energy technology relies on the element most associated with climate change: carbon. Read More
Virent Energy Systems CEO to speak at Bioenergy Summit
Lee Edwards, president and chief executive officer of Madison's Virent Energy Systems, will deliver the keynote address at the second annual Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. Read More
Satellite anniversary marks 50 years of studying climate from space
On Oct. 13, 1959, University of Wisconsin–Madison professors Verner Suomi and Robert Parent crouched in a bunker at Cape Canaveral, sweating through the countdown for the Juno II rocket perched on its launching pad 150 yards away. Read More
High-speed genetic analysis looks deep inside primate immune system
Viruses such as HIV and influenza take safe harbor in cells, where they cannot be recognized directly by the immune system. The immune response relies on infected cells announcing the presence of the virus by studding their exterior with fragments of the virus lurking within. Read More
Banded rocks reveal early Earth conditions, changes
The strikingly banded rocks scattered across the upper Midwest and elsewhere throughout the world are actually ambassadors from the past, offering clues to the environment of the early Earth more than 2 billion years ago. Read More
Scientists hope to mimic nature’s dynamos
In the cosmos, all celestial objects - planets, stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies - have magnetic fields. On Earth, the magnetic field of our home planet is most easily observed in a compass where the needle points north. Read More
Industrial engineering professor provides national expertise on the driver distraction threat
University of Wisconsin–Madison industrial and systems engineering professor John Lee spoke about the dangers of distracted driving at a Washington, D.C., meeting on the topic held Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The meeting included representatives from the Obama administration, U.S. Senate and automotive industry, among others, and was a chance for Lee to discuss his area of expertise: technology-mediated attention. Read More
Researcher studies monkeys in Africa to better understand virus evolution
Despite the importance of AIDS in human health, scientists still know very little about the diversity and ecology of AIDS-like viruses in nature. Read More
Youth science day makes millions of young scientists
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, millions of young people across the United States will become scientists for the day as they explore the world of biofuels. Read More
UW-Madison climate competition offers up to $100,000 in awards
Now in its second year, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Climate Leadership Challenge really means business. Read More
Sand dunes reveal unexpected dryness during heavy monsoon
The windswept deserts of northern China might seem an odd destination for studying the heavy monsoon rains that routinely drench the more tropical regions of Southeast Asia. Read More
Models begin to unravel how single DNA strands combine
Using computer simulations, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has identified some of the pathways through which single complementary strands of DNA interact and combine to form the double helix. Read More