Category Science & Technology
In young mice, gregariousness seems to reside in the genes
In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found evidence that social interactions among young mice result from basic motivations to be with one another. What's more, the researchers say, the extent of a young mouse's gregariousness is influenced by its genetic background. Read More
With rat genome as guide, human breast cancer risk refined
Combing the genomes of the rat and the human, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found swaths of genetic code that can be used to assess the risk of human breast cancer. Read More
Abrupt climate change more common than believed
It came on quickly and then lasted nearly two decades, eventually killing more than one million people and affecting 50 million more. All of this makes the Sahel drought, which first struck West Africa in the late 1960s, the most notorious example of an abrupt climatic shift during the last century. Read More
Stem cell therapy shows promise for rescuing deteriorating vision
For the millions of Americans whose vision is slowly ebbing due to degenerative diseases of the eye, the lowly neural progenitor cell may be riding to the rescue. Read More
Unique models help teach nanoscience to the blind
At the root of scientific study are observations made with the eyes; yet in nanoscience, our eyes fail us. The smallest object we can see still looms thousands of times larger than a typical nano-sized structure. Even the most powerful microscopes can't peer into the nanoscale directly. Read More
Targeting tumors the natural way
By mimicking Nature's way of distinguishing one type of cell from another, University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists now report they can more effectively seek out and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. Read More
Ultrathin films deliver DNA as possible gene therapy tool
Gene therapy - the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease - has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time. Read More
Global warming forecasts creation, loss of climate zones
A new global warming study predicts that many current climate zones will vanish entirely by the year 2100, replaced by climates unknown in today's world. Read More
UW-Madison approves new research institute
The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently approved a new research entity, the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). Read More
Study: Online information may improve cancer patients’ opinions about doctors
Accessing high-quality health information on the Internet may improve breast cancer patients' opinions about their doctors, according to a new study conducted by the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research, funded by the National Cancer Institute. Read More
Microbial safari, physics wonders on tap March 24
Families and learners of all ages are invited to discover the unknown and explore the wonder of science at Science Expeditions at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Saturday, March 24. Read More
Study: Prions likely more mobile in alkaline soils
Prions, the rogue proteins that cause chronic wasting disease and similar maladies, may be more mobile in soil that is more alkaline, suggests a new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers. Read More
Breaching a gateway to the cell, drug discovery
With support from the Discovery Seed Grant Program, Wisconsin scientists are poised to bring a novel approach to finding new medicines by deploying the atomic force microscope — the foremost tool of the nanotechnologist — to screen agents as they dock with critical cell receptors. Read More
UW launches study testing adult stem cells for heart damage repair
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is among the first medical centers in the country taking part in a novel clinical trial investigating if a subject's own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery disease. Read More
UW-Madison stellerator a step forward in plasma research
A project by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has come one step closer to making fusion energy possible. Read More
Mercury contamination of fish warrants worldwide public warning
The health risks posed by mercury-contaminated fish is sufficient to warrant issuing a worldwide general warning to the public-especially children and women of childbearing age-to be careful about how much and which fish they eat. Read More
Applications for beginning dairy, livestock farmers school due April 1
Prospective dairy and livestock farmers have until April 1 to apply for admission to the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Media effects on public attitudes toward nanotechnology
As the emerging field of nanotechnology enters the public consciousness, mass media play an important role in shaping public attitudes about the new science. But newspapers, the Internet and television do so in significantly different ways, says Dietram Scheufele, a professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
UW researcher and spinoff company to receive MIT technology awards
The MIT Club of Wisconsin, a state association for alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is recognizing a University of Wisconsin–Madison influenza researcher and a bioscience spinoff company on Friday at its annual Technology Achievement Awards banquet. Read More