Category Science & Technology
For nano, religion in U.S. dictates a wary view
When it comes to the world of the very, very small - nanotechnology - Americans have a big problem: Nano and its capacity to alter the fundamentals of nature, it seems, are failing the moral litmus test of religion.
Can milk help prevent transplant rejections?
Could Wisconsin's signature product – milk – hold the key to one of the biggest problems in organ transplantation? Hans Sollinger, the surgeon who heads the transplant program at UW Hospital and Clinics, is betting on it.
Cave’s climate clues show ancient empires declined during dry spell
The decline of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the Eastern Mediterranean more than 1,400 years ago may have been driven by unfavorable climate changes.
Researchers examine role of soil patterns in dam restoration
Looking at the site today, it's easy to forget that a dam and pond stood for 43 years on the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Franbrook Farm Research Station in southwestern Wisconsin. All traces of the structure are gone, and acres of plants, both native and weedy, now carpet the floor of the former basin.
Uncovering the real dirt on granular flow
Assistant Professor Dan Negrut and his team at the Simulation-Based Engineering Laboratory are developing innovative computer simulation methods for parallel computers to analyze granular material motion much faster than is possible with current technologies.
Fast molecular rearrangements hold key to plastic’s toughness
Plastics are everywhere in our modern world, largely due to properties that render the materials tough and durable, but lightweight and easily workable. One of their most useful qualities, however - the ability to bend rather than break when put under stress - is also one of the most puzzling.
Curiosities: How do birds migrate?
The essential skills of bird migration are orientation — knowing north from south, and east from west — and navigation, having some sort of “map”…
Wiscontrepreneur scholarship winner profiles
Brian Benford is a social work major with a strong commitment to social entrepreneurship. Originally from Milwaukee, Brian has served as Program Director at the…
Physical Sciences Lab is a one-stop shop
As full-time caretaker for Wisc-SIMS, one of the geology department’s most intricate scientific instruments, Jim Kern is no stranger to trouble-shooting problems and making repairs. Still, when the machine, called an ion microprobe, sprang a leak in its detector this summer, the technician soon realized he’d need help from the instrument’s French manufacturer to fix it.
PET scans may help in leukemia care
Is the chemotherapy working? Is the radiation therapy shrinking the tumor? The sooner doctors know the answers to those questions, the better they can tailor cancer treatment. Now a UW–Madison research team is finding that non-invasive PET scans may provide the answers early during treatment — in contrast to the current long wait needed to determine clinical outcome.
‘Once Upon a Christmas Cheery’ to be broadcast in December
All tickets for the 39th annual “Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri” have been distributed, but the program will be broadcast on Wisconsin Public Television.