Category Science & Technology
Software tool helps Web developers identify seizure-causing content
In 1997, an episode of the popular Pok�mon cartoon gained worldwide attention when more than 800 Japanese children with photosensitive seizure conditions were admitted to the hospital after viewing the cartoon or the subsequent news coverage of it. Read More
Do Chicago’s suburbs hold the key to understanding West Nile virus?
For a group of UW–Madison epidemiologists, the Chicago suburbs near Oak Lawn are proving to be the perfect laboratory for prying loose the secrets of West Nile virus, a pathogen carried by mosquitoes and birds that infects and sickens thousands of people each summer. Read More
Slide show: Blooming limnologists
The limnology “major”, one of 18 offered at this year’s Grandparents University, takes grandparents and their grandchildren on to Lake Mendota to collect samples and test the water for oxygen and temperature while aboard Limnos, a 28-foot research boat. Read More
‘Motion picture’ of past warming paves way for snapshots of future climate change
By accurately modeling Earth's last major global warming - and answering pressing questions about its causes - scientists led by University of Wisconsin–Madison and National Center for Atmospheric Research climatologists are unraveling the intricacies of the kind of abrupt climate shifts that may occur in the future. Read More
Study suggests H1N1 virus more dangerous than suspected
A new, highly detailed study of the H1N1 flu virus shows that the pathogen is more virulent than previously thought. Read More
UW-Madison researcher wins White House science award
A University of Wisconsin–Madison bacteriologist and evolutionary biologist is one of the country's brightest young scientific minds, according to the White House. Read More
Reduced diet thwarts aging, disease in monkeys
The bottom-line message from a decades-long study of monkeys on a restricted diet is simple: Consuming fewer calories leads to a longer, healthier life. Read More
Registration now open for Wisconsin Science and Technology Symposium
The second annual Wisconsin Science and Technology Symposium, to be held July 23 and 24, will bring together science and technology researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors from across the state to help them share ideas and spark new collaborations. Read More
Five big ideas to fill out Wisconsin Institute for Discovery portfolio
Capping an intensely competitive process, five proposals from University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty have been selected to form the intellectual heart of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID). Read More
Recent sightings: The science of fireworks
Chemistry professor Bassam Shakhashiri ignites a gas-filled balloon during a free demonstration about the science of fireworks held at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Memorial… Read More
New MRI technique could mean fewer breast biopsies in high-risk women
A University of Wisconsin–Madison biomedical engineer and colleagues have developed a method that, applied in MRI scans of the breast, could spare some women with increased breast cancer risk the pain and stress of having to endure a biopsy of a questionable lump or lesion. Read More
Sequencing effort to chart ants and their ecosystem
Nestled within the twisting fungus gardens of leaf-cutter ants exists a complex symbiotic web that has evolved over millions of years. Now, with the help of a major genomic sequencing grant from Roche Applied Science, scientists at UW–Madison will be able to analyze these interactions at the molecular scale. Read More
Major study links malaria mosquitoes to Amazon deforestation
In one of the most field-intensive efforts to explore the connection between malaria and tropical deforestation, a team led by Jonathan Patz, a specialist in the link between environment and health at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW–Madison, has established a strong correlation between the extent of forest destruction and the incidence of the Amazon's most dangerous malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles darlingi. Read More
Students help New Orleans wetlands
A project led by students at UW–Madison and designed to restore New Orleans wetlands damaged by Hurricane Katrina recently took a major step forward. Read More
Experts: Big Tobacco dead by 2047, possibly sooner
President Barack Obama's signature on a bill this week to grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco was historic, and represents a step in the march to eliminate tobacco use in this country by 2047, two national tobacco experts said today (June 25). Read More
Projected food, energy demands seen to outpace production
With the caloric needs of the planet expected to soar by 50 percent in the next 40 years, planning and investment in global agriculture will become critically important, according a new report released today (June 25). Read More
Chemistry professor reveals the science behind fireworks
Come early to the Memorial Union Terrace this Saturday, June 27, to stake out a good seat for Rhythm and Booms and learn about the science behind the spectacle. Read More
Carb synthesis sheds light on promising tuberculosis drug target
A fundamental question about how sugar units are strung together into long carbohydrate chains has also pinpointed a promising way to target new medicines against tuberculosis. Read More
Scientists and public differ on views about nanotechnology regulation
When it comes to regulating nanotechnology - a burgeoning global industry with wide-ranging potential applications - a new study led by professors Dietram Scheufele at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Elizabeth Corley at Arizona State University (ASU) reveals that the views of U.S. nanoscientists differ from those of the general public. Read More
Expert on relationship between animals and bacteria wins Guggenheim honor
University of Wisconsin–Madison developmental biologist Margaret McFall-Ngai has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, a one-year grant that will support her investigation into how animals interact with their natural complement of microbes. Read More