Category Science & Technology
Early childhood stress has lingering effects on health
Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation. Read More
New program aims to enhance operations of Wisconsin biotech companies
The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) have partnered to launch a biotechnology process improvement program, working with local firms NeoClone in Madison, Catalent in Middleton and Invitrogen in Milwaukee. Read More
Psychiatrist provides advice on seasonal affective disorder
Did you dread the start of winter? Do you feel like crawling into bed with a package of cookie dough, pulling the covers over your head, and not coming out until spring? Read More
Chancellor Martin joins effort to encourage federal research investment
Chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin joined nearly 50 other higher education leaders and Nobel laureates earlier this month in a letter to President-elect Barack Obama, arguing that scientific research should be an investment priority in the debate over an economic stimulus package. Read More
UW-Madison sociologist named to key NSF post
Cora Marrett, University of Wisconsin–Madison emeritus professor of sociology and former UW System senior vice president for academic affairs, has been named acting deputy director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) effective Jan. 18. Read More
Cellartis, WARF sign license agreement for human embryonic stem cells
Cellartis AB, a premier provider of human embryonic stem cell (hES) derived products and technologies, and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the private, nonprofit patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, announced today (Jan. 15) that they have signed a license for hES patents that enables Cellartis to commercialize undifferentiated hES cell products in the U.S. Read More
Large-scale nuclear materials study shapes national collaborations
In Kumar Sridharan's laboratory on the University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering campus, just one ill-timed sneeze might have catapulted his next three years' worth of nuclear reactor materials research into oblivion. Read More
Common soil mineral degrades the nearly indestructible prion
In the rogues' gallery of microscopic infectious agents, the prion is the toughest hombre in town. Read More
Nations that sow food crops for biofuels may reap less than previously thought
Global yields of most biofuels crops, including corn, rapeseed and wheat, have been overestimated by 100 to 150 percent or more, suggesting many countries need to reset their expectations of agricultural biofuels to a more realistic level. Read More
Can you see me now? Flexible photodetectors could help sharpen photos
Distorted cell-phone photos and big, clunky telephoto lenses could be things of the past. Read More
Protein that regulates hormones critical to women’s health found in pituitary
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have solved the mystery surrounding a "rogue protein" that plays a role in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain. Read More
All NIH human embryonic stem cell registry lines now deposited at NSCB
The U.S. National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB) has announced that it has received deposits of two human embryonic stem cell lines from Cellartis AB, a biotechnology company based in Sweden. With the addition of the new lines, the National Stem Cell Bank now has received all 21 cell lines from the six providers listed on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) federal registry. Read More
Study: Can nature’s leading indicators presage environmental disaster?
Economists use leading indicators - the drivers of economic performance - to take the temperature of the economy and predict the future. Now, in a new study, scientists take a page from the social science handbook and use leading indicators of the environment to presage the potential collapse of ecosystems. Read More
Study: Risky behavior prominent on teen MySpace profiles
More than half of adolescent MySpace users mention risky behaviors such as sex, violence or substance use on their personal Web profiles. Read More
Expectant brains help predict anxiety treatment success
A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. Read More
Scientists isolate genes that made 1918 flu lethal
By mixing and matching a contemporary flu virus with the "Spanish flu" - a virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years ago in history's most devastating outbreak of infectious disease - researchers have identified a set of three genes that helped underpin the extraordinary virulence of the 1918 virus. Read More
UW-Madison engineer receives presidential award
A University of Wisconsin–Madison engineer has been honored with the country's highest honor for scientists at the beginning of their research careers. Read More
Photo essay: Cold digger
Fifty years ago, UW scientist Charlie Bentley made his maiden voyage to a frigid, faraway land – and he’s been returning ever since. Read More
Seven UW–Madison faculty honored as AAAS fellows
Seven members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), it was announced Dec. 18. Read More