Category Science & Technology
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.
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.
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.
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.
Was mighty T. rex ‘Sue’ felled by a lowly parasite?
A new study, published today (Sept. 29) in the online journal Public Library of Science One, provides evidence that ‘Sue,’ the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex whose fossilized remains are a star attraction of the Field Museum in Chicago, was felled by a lowly parasite that still afflicts modern birds.
New Wisconsin Center of Excellence in Genomics Science established
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health today (Sept. 28) announced an $8 million, three-year grant to establish a Wisconsin Center of Excellence in Genomics Science.
Curiosities: Why is it that often foods with the least nutritional content taste the best to people?
It depends on how you define nutrition, says Franco Milani, an assistant professor of food science. The word “nutritious” may mean a food…
Nobel Prize-winning chemist to give Bernstein Lectures
Renowned chemist Ahmed Zewail will give two lectures as part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Richard B. Bernstein Lectures in Chemistry on Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Department of Geography holds open house
The Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will host an open house at Science Hall on Friday, Sept. 25, for alumni and friends of the department.
Capturing tomorrow’s satellite data with today’s instruments
A satellite that won't be launched into orbit until 2015 is already paying dividends for an advanced weather research project.
Smaller isn’t always better: Catalyst simulations could lower fuel cell cost
Imagine a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won't be on the market anytime soon, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers are making incremental but important strides in the fuel cell technology that could make clean cars a reality.
UW-Madison undergraduates make unwelcome discovery in Lake Mendota
On Sept. 11, a standard cruise on Lake Mendota's University Bay began for students in University of Wisconsin–Madison's Zoology 315, a course that introduces them to the study of lakes. With the sampling craft Limnos anchored about one-quarter mile offshore on a clear sunny day, four students pulled up a small net and began poking through its contents.
UW-Madison entomologist helps farmers deal with tricky crop pest
Historically, crop rotation has worked to keep the western corn rootworm in check in Wisconsin.
Study reveals dynamic Wisconsin climate, past and future
If the future scenarios being churned out by the world's most sophisticated computer climate models are on the mark, big changes are in store for Wisconsin's weather during the next century.
Public lecture on science, Judaism planned for Sept. 17
A free public lecture on the intersection of Judaic thought and science will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at UW–Madison.
Research aims to cool runoff to protect coldwater streams
The ocean of stormwater that flows off of the sun-baked urban landscape is packing heat, and trout are starting to feel it.
Potato blight reveals some secrets as genome is decoded
Late blight caused the 19th century famine that sparked a wave of emigration from Ireland to the United States, but the disease has also infected tomatoes and potatoes this year. Potatoes, the world's fourth-largest food crop, were raised on 65,500 acres in Wisconsin in 2007. If a potato field is not treated with pesticide, late blight can destroy the crop in a few days.
Science and media disconnect? Maybe not, says a new study
The prevailing wisdom among many scientists and scientific organizations is that, as a rule, scientists are press shy, and those who aren't are mavericks.
Historic Washburn Observatory prepares to reopen
The Washburn Observatory, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's gate to the heavens, will open later this month following a careful two-year renovation that preserved its hilltop charm and historic significance.
Monkeys get a groove on, but only to monkey music
Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotions; most people unconsciously recognize and respond to music that is happy, sad, fearful or mellow. But psychologists who have tried to trace the evolutionary roots of these responses usually hit a dead end. Nonhuman primates scarcely respond to human music, and instead prefer silence.