Category Science & Technology
Satellite leftovers to fuel weather, climate research
A spool of 1,600 gold threads, each thinner than one uncooked spaghetti noodle, formed the insides of the beer can-sized component in a space-bound refrigerator. The University of Wisconsin–Madison center responsible for this unit recently sold the leftover gold to fund remote-sensing research. Read More
Physicists find way to ‘see’ extra dimensions
Peering backward in time to an instant after the big bang, physicists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised an approach that may help unlock the hidden shapes of alternate dimensions of the universe. Read More
Undergraduate invention competitions slated for Feb 8-9
Ski bindings, a reclining wheelchair, digital window-front advertising, a page-turning machine and an online community are rarely found in the same context. But they and 15 other inventions, all conceived and built by University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduate students, will be the center of attention at the annual UW–Madison Innovation Days competitions, to be held Feb. 8-9 in the Mechanical Engineering Building on the College of Engineering campus. Read More
Finding may unshackle the potential of composite materials
In an advance that could lead to composite materials with virtually limitless performance capabilities, a University of Wisconsin–Madison scientist has dispelled a 50-year-old theoretical notion that composite materials must be made only of "stable" individual materials to be stable overall. Read More
McKenna selected to head veterinary diagnostic lab
Thomas McKenna, an animal disease expert with 12 years experience dealing with the implications of livestock diseases at the national and international level, has been chosen to head the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Read More
Nutrition researchers provide the skinny on trans fats
This past holiday season, University of Wisconsin–Madison nutritionist Sherry Tanumihardjo made brownies with butter, not margarine. Like a lot of us, she wanted to avoid artificial trans fats. Read More
Enzyme plays dual role in cancer spread
Before cancer cells can migrate, or metastasize, to other parts of the body, they first have to disconnect from their neighbors in the tumor. A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison and Canadian scientists has made a surprising discovery: The same enzyme that controls the ability of cancer cells to move also governs a process that binds them tightly in place. Read More
Silicon medicines may be effective in humans
University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have shown that silicon — the stuff of computer chips, glass and pottery — may have extraordinary therapeutic value for treating human disease. Read More
Campus plan aims to remove ash trees, head off emerald ash borer
Staying one step ahead of an aggressive, wood-boring beetle that is threatening ash trees in several states is the aim of a plan that will gradually remove many ash trees at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Toxin-binding protein linked to cardiovascular health
New research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has revealed an unexpected role for a toxin-binding protein in regulating the carrier of so-called "bad cholesterol." Read More
UW-Madison college targets federal bioenergy initiative
The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is leading efforts to bring a new federal bioenergy research and development center to Wisconsin, the college's dean told a group of bioscience industry leaders today. Read More
Study uncovers a lethal secret of 1918 influenza virus
In a study of nonhuman primates infected with the influenza virus that killed 50 million people in 1918, an international team of scientists has found a critical clue to how the virus killed so quickly and efficiently. Read More
Supercomputer to power climate change study
Climate researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have been given unprecedented access to one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to better understand the causes and consequences of abrupt climate change. Read More
UW-Madison acquires rare plant from dinosaur age
A relic plant that once co-existed with dinosaurs has taken up residence in the University of Wisconsin–Madison botany greenhouses. Read More
Bringing together Earth and sky imagery
Integrating studies of the Earth with those of the atmosphere and beyond, the Environmental Remote Sensing Center (ERSC) recently joined the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School. Read More
A hot idea for insulating tiny batteries
Engineering physics researchers are devising a unique "blanket" that will enable them to squeeze as much electricity as possible from nuclear-powered batteries the size of a grain of coarse salt. Read More
Wisconsin Idea: Cultivating the artisan cheese market
When someone mentions Babcock Hall, people immediately think "ice cream." But the campus dairy plant is starting to make a name with another signature product: award-winning cheese. Read More
Record speed for thin-film transistors could open door for flexible electronics
A pair of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a method of making flexible, thin-film transistors that are not only inexpensive to produce, but also capable of high speeds — even microwave frequency, impossible before now. Read More
Barnacle busters: Tackling a shipping industry headache
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised a potentially ingenious solution to the multi-million dollar problem known as "biofouling," a chronic headache that has plagued the shipping world for centuries. Read More
UW contributes to international fusion program
University of Wisconsin–Madison Fusion Technology Institute (FTI) researchers are playing a key role in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a multinational project designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. Read More