Category Science & Technology
WiCell Research Institute launches new stem cell bank
The WiCell Research Institute, a private, not-for-profit supporting organization to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is launching its own stem cell bank to distribute cell lines beyond the 21 lines eligible for federal funding and distribution through the National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB).
Manes, trains and antlers explained
A team of Wisconsin scientists has worked out the molecular details of how a simple genetic switch controls decorative traits in male fruit flies and how that switch evolved.
Lecture series honoring Denice Denton planned for Sept. 12
Nancy Hopkins, Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will deliver the first lecture in the Denice D. Denton Distinguished Lecture Series.
Curiosities: What’s behind the claims that the new particle accelerator in Europe may create black holes that could destroy the Earth? Should we be worried?
When the Large Hadron Collider starts running this summer near Geneva, Switzerland, some physicists have predicted that some of its high-energy proton collisions could…
SEMATECH donates cutting-edge lab equipment to UW–Madison
Students in Mechanical Engineering Professor Roxann Engelstad's lab, sought after in industry for their problem-solving experience, now can graduate even more well-versed in cutting-edge technology.
The biology of obesity: Do these genes make me look fat?
Scientists are probing the complex relationship between our DNA and our diets to unravel the root causes of obesity. But for those seeking a simple solution to the worldwide fat epidemic, their answers may be hard to swallow.
Watershed study solidifies science behind ecosystem restoration projects
Working with The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a pair of University of Wisconsin–Madison hydroecologists is evaluating the efficacy of an ecosystem restoration project along a stretch of the Pecatonica River near the small town of Barneveld in southwest Wisconsin.
Self-assembling polymer arrays improve data storage potential
A new manufacturing approach holds the potential to overcome the technological limitations currently facing the microelectronics and data-storage industries, paving the way to smaller electronic devices and higher-capacity hard drives.
World Stem Cell Summit offers registration discounts to UW–Madison community
The Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center and the WiCell Research Institute will help supplement World Stem Cell Summit registrations for a limited number of faculty, staff, students and trainees.
Fighting ash borer: To spray or not to spray?
Perhaps the only good news in the Aug. 4 announcement that emerald ash borers have been found in southeastern Wisconsin is that the invasive pest took its time getting here.
Slide show: Bucky (and friends) go to the fair
Cream puffs and the giant slide aside, the Wisconsin State Fair is a great venue for learning new things about the world — making it an ideal spot for UW–Madison to settle in for a day. On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the university did just that by bringing a sampling of science, music and athletics to the citizens of the state during UW–Madison Day at the Fair.
UW-Madison students improve Ecuador water quality
Civil and environmental engineering students used their senior design capstone project as an opportunity to fix a water pipeline serving five communities in Ecuador.
Rising from the ashes: The science of Yellowstone’s rebirth
When wildfires raged through more than a million acres of a beloved national park, the destruction seemed complete. But a UW researcher looked closer — and found hope growing among the remains.
Conference brings science into focus for visually impaired
A conference titled Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind Conference on Teaching, Learning and Practicing Science for Students with Visual Impairments has been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, at UW–Madison.
UW-Madison ecologist receives MacArthur Award
University of Wisconsin–Madison zoology professor Monica Turner was lauded Aug. 4 for work that was once criticized as "pseudoscience."
New ‘urban research park’ offers jolt of electricity to Madison high-tech startups
After three decades of almost exponential commercial growth on Madison's west side, the University Research Park (URP) will pursue an opportunity to sink roots downtown with an innovative "urban research park" targeting high-technology entrepreneurs.
New $8.9 million project aims to unlock stem cell secrets
Although scientists have had access to human embryonic stem cells for a decade, precisely how the all-purpose cell gives rise to all other cells in the body and why others do not remains a fundamental mystery of biology.
South Pole researchers training this week at UW’s Physical Sciences Lab
This week marks the annual "Driller and Deployer Workshop" for research staff who will work at the South Pole as part of the well-known IceCube Neutrino Observatory project.