Category Science & Technology

Stem cells used to create critical brain barrier in lab

December 20, 2006

Using neural stem cells derived from the fetal brains of rats, a team of Wisconsin scientists has devised a rudimentary blood-brain barrier in the lab.

New math and science repository serves up the good stuff

December 19, 2006

Internet Scout, a 12-year-old University of Wisconsin–Madison online research project, is unveiling its new national math and science educational project this month called the Applied Math and Science Education Repository.

Wisconsin scientists land major infectious disease awards

December 19, 2006

The holidays have arrived early for two young University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members. Cancer researcher Robert Kalejta and chemist Helen Blackwell have learned that they are each the recipients of prestigious Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Awards from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

New book extols the beauty of Arboretum prairie plants

December 18, 2006

People looking for a gift for the gardener or nature lover in their lives - especially one who is interested in prairies and prairie gardens - might consider the new "Prairie Plants of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum," a beautiful and informative guide to the more than 360 native and introduced species that grow and bloom on the Arboretum's prairies.

‘Kauffman Campus’ award will fuel campus, state entrepreneurship

December 14, 2006

Gov. Jim Doyle and Chancellor John Wiley announced today that the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has named the University of Wisconsin–Madison one of its nine "Kauffman Campuses," and has received $5 million to help train students in the principles and practices of entrepreneurship and spur greater research commercialization statewide.

New research program tackles Parkinson’s disease

December 14, 2006

A new research collaboration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison aims to move promising new therapies for Parkinson's disease from primates to patients.

Anesthesia in childhood: Are there dangers?

December 14, 2006

This week, The Why Files asks if anesthetics are killing brain cells in children who are exposed during pregnancy or the first three years of life.

Study: Botulinum attacks like a ‘smart bomb’

December 13, 2006

A pilot without a map can locate an airport by first finding a nearby landmark, like a big river, and then searching for the airport. New research from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and Scripps Research Institute shows how the astonishingly powerful botulinum toxin uses a similar strategy to latch onto nerve cells, the first step in inactivating them.

Scientists find potential weapon against tuberculosis infection

December 13, 2006

The discovery of a unique copper-repressing protein in the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in humans may pave the way toward new strategies for halting tuberculosis infection.

Brain’s ‘fear center’ may underlie autistic behaviors

December 12, 2006

The brain's emotional center is unusually small in autistic males with the most severe behavioral impairments, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers reported this month.

Prestigious fellowship awarded to scientist

December 11, 2006

A postdoctoral researcher in the University of Wisconsin–Madison biochemistry department has been selected as a recipient of a prestigious new fellowship.

Controlling confusion: Researchers make insight into memory, forgetting

December 4, 2006

Why do we forget? Do memories decay on their own, or are they harmed by interference from similar memories? Using a technique called "transcranial magnetic stimulation," brain researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison may have found the answer.

Combustible Christmas special coming to public television

November 29, 2006

Chemistry is still a hot ticket in town. As in past years, the popular holiday lectures by University of Wisconsin–Madison chemistry professor Bassam Shakhashiri, scheduled for Dec. 2-3, are sold out, according to organizers.

Five UW–Madison faculty named AAAS fellows

November 24, 2006

Five University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members are among the 449 scientists and engineers to be awarded fellowships from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which were announced this week (Nov. 23).

Good sports: Hamstring findings may help injured athletes stay healthy

November 21, 2006

Athletes who strain a hamstring could avoid re-injuring the muscle by participating in targeted physical therapies and improving their running mechanics, according to University of Wisconsin–Madison research.

UW-Madison researchers develop novel method to find new antibiotics

November 20, 2006

A University of Wisconsin–Madison bacteriologist plans to search for new antibiotics that render virulent bacteria harmless without killing them.

Lakeshore Nature Preserve comes to life online

November 20, 2006

A digital trove brimming with cutting-edge maps, evocative photos, ecological information and the rich history of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Lakeshore Nature Preserve has been assembled on a Web site that debuted today.

New maps emphasize the human factor in wildfire management

November 16, 2006

To help fire managers identify the best locations for site treatments in one particularly fire-prone region in Southern California, a University of Wisconsin–Madison team developed a map that incorporates both environmental and human factors to pinpoint where the most devastating wildfires are likely to start in the Santa Monica Mountains, located just north of Los Angeles.

Dieting meets DNA: Nutrition gets personal in new studies

November 15, 2006

Ushering nutritional science into the biotech age, UW–Madison researchers are exploring the complex interactions between food and genes to uncover new modes of disease prevention, drug development and, eventually, personalized diet advice tailored to one’s DNA.

Scientists find mutations that let bird flu adapt to humans

November 15, 2006

By comparing influenza viruses found in birds with those of the avian virus that have also infected human hosts, researchers have identified key genetic changes required for pandemic strains of bird flu.