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Category Science & Technology

iPhone sleep improvement application wins at innovation competition

February 12, 2009

A software application for the iPhone and the iPod touch that will help people sleep and wake up more effectively won the $10,000 top prize in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, an annual University of Wisconsin–Madison invention competition that rewards innovative and marketable ideas. Read More

How do you mend a broken heart? Maybe someday with stem cells made from your skin

February 12, 2009

A little more than a year after University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists showed they could turn skin cells back into stem cells, they have pulsating proof that these "induced" stem cells can indeed form the specialized cells that make up heart muscle. Read More

Psychoactive compound activates mysterious receptor

February 12, 2009

A hallucinogenic compound found in a plant indigenous to South America and used in shamanic rituals regulates a mysterious protein that is abundant throughout the body, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have discovered. Read More

Sequences capture the code of the common cold

February 12, 2009

In an effort to confront our most familiar malady, scientists have deciphered the instruction manual for the common cold. Read More

Intrepid explorers and the search for the origin of species

February 12, 2009

A UW–Madison professor of genetics will give the plenary lecture at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Friday, Feb. 13. Read More

Mouse study reveals genetic component of empathy

February 12, 2009

The ability to empathize with others is partially determined by genes, according to new research on mice from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Read More

Noted Australian science writer to visit

February 11, 2009

Wilson da Silva, editor in chief of the award-winning Australian science magazine COSMOS, has been named a UW–Madison science writer in residence for this spring. Read More

Mathematical models reveal how organisms transcend the sum of their genes

February 6, 2009

Molecular and cellular biologists have made tremendous scientific advances by dissecting apart the functions of individual genes, proteins, and pathways. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering are looking to expand that understanding by putting the pieces back together, mathematically. Read More

UW-Madison to host bash for Darwin’s 200th birthday

February 4, 2009

Feb. 12 marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the founding father of evolution, and scientists, historians and other Wisconsin scholars are planning a daylong celebration in honor of the British biologist and his legacy. Read More

Paper industry executive to lead Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative

February 3, 2009

Troy Runge, research director at Kimberly-Clark Corp., has been named director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI). Read More

Reason or faith? Darwin expert reflects

February 3, 2009

This is going to be a big year for evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book “On the Origin of Species,” and Feb. 12 would be his 200th birthday. Throughout the year, Darwin Day events are planned around the world to celebrate the man and his work, and to explore Darwin’s legacy of science and reason. On the top of many Darwin Day speakers lists is Ronald Numbers, Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine. Read More

Genetic change prevents cell death in mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

February 2, 2009

By shifting a normal protective mechanism into overdrive, a University of Wisconsin–Madison scientist has completely shielded mice from a toxic chemical that would otherwise cause Parkinson's disease. Read More

17th century science, music coincide in multimedia performance

February 2, 2009

The coincidental revolutions in music and science in the 17th century are the focal points of a free public multimedia event featuring Dava Sobel, author of “Galileo’s Daughter” and “Longitude,” and soprano Sarah Pillow and her Baroque ensemble, Galileo’s Daughters. Read More

Encouraging entrepreneurs: Undergraduate invention competition turns 15

February 2, 2009

In 1995, the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering debuted the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, a competition that provides university undergraduates the tools and resources to develop an original, patentable invention or process. Read More

Single gene lets bacteria jump from host to host

February 1, 2009

All life - plants, animals, people - depends on peaceful coexistence with a swarm of microbial life that performs vital services from helping to convert food to energy to protection from disease. Read More

Vet Medicine launches a new approach to E. coli food safety

January 30, 2009

Infection by Eschericia.coli O157:H7 from undercooked cattle meat proves deadly to about 60 people in the U.S. each year. While testing is available to detect the presence of the bacterium in raw meat, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison would prefer to address the problem before the meat is sent to market. Read More

Innocence Project helps reverse wrongful murder conviction

January 30, 2009

Robert Lee Stinson, a Milwaukee man convicted of homicide in 1985, is expected to be released from prison today (Jan. 30, 2009) based on new evidence of his innocence. Read More

Experts available to discuss the federal economic stimulus package

January 29, 2009

As federal lawmakers continue to debate the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA 2009), professional development experts at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are available to discuss the impact of the legislation on the nation's infrastructure. Read More

Research uncovers surprising lion stronghold in war-torn central Africa

January 29, 2009

Times are tough for wildlife living at the frontier between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Armies are reportedly encamped in a national park and wildlife preserve on the Congolese side, while displaced herders and their cattle have settled in an adjoining Ugandan park. Read More

New evolutionary biology option looks to the future of science

January 28, 2009

Charles Darwin would be proud of the way the biology major has evolved during the last academic year. Read More