Category Science & Technology
Models present new view of nanoscale friction
To understand friction on a very small scale, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers had to think big.
IceCube building goals exceeded at South Pole
As the 2008-09 Antarctic drilling season concludes, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is on track to be finished as planned in 2011.
UW-Madison narrows field of potential WID research themes
The research direction of the rising Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is coming into sharper focus as UW–Madison this week (Feb. 20) announced the list of successful pre-proposals for the public half of the new public-private institute.
Genetic information personalizes warfarin prescribing
Warfarin, one of the world's most widely used drugs, is also one of the trickiest to prescribe. Half of those who take it are at risk of serious problems when given the standard starting dose.
Engineered bacterium churns out two new key antibiotics
In recent years, scientists have isolated two potent natural antibiotics - platensimycin and platencin - that are highly effective against bacterial infection, including those caused by the most dreaded drug-resistant microbes.
Course builds community of biomedical entrepreneurs
A new multidisciplinary course at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is preparing entrepreneurial graduate students to bring biomedical innovations to the patients who need them.
iPhone sleep improvement application wins at innovation competition
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.
How do you mend a broken heart? Maybe someday with stem cells made from your skin
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.
Psychoactive compound activates mysterious receptor
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.
Sequences capture the code of the common cold
In an effort to confront our most familiar malady, scientists have deciphered the instruction manual for the common cold.
Intrepid explorers and the search for the origin of species
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.
Mouse study reveals genetic component of empathy
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).
Noted Australian science writer to visit
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.
Mathematical models reveal how organisms transcend the sum of their genes
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.
UW-Madison to host bash for Darwin’s 200th birthday
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.
Paper industry executive to lead Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative
Troy Runge, research director at Kimberly-Clark Corp., has been named director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI).
Reason or faith? Darwin expert reflects
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.
Genetic change prevents cell death in mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
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.
17th century science, music coincide in multimedia performance
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.
Encouraging entrepreneurs: Undergraduate invention competition turns 15
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.