Category Science & Technology
Reddit competes to visualize Madison’s prized Lake Mendota ice data
Data visualizations generated by a Reddit competition reveal a concerning trend that’s been known to scientists at UW–Madison and elsewhere for decades: ice is disappearing on Lake Mendota.
Chemistry instructor finds ‘dream job’ helping students persevere
Matt Bowman has guided some 3,500 students through the demanding course of organic chemistry — a requirement for many majors. His warmness, energy and humor have won him fans.
Cell component breakdown suggests possible treatment for multiple neural disorders
New UW–Madison research provides the first direct evidence that mitochondria dysfunction contributes to fragile X and autism, raising hope for new therapeutic developments.
Engineers’ projects in focus as campus makerspace holds first “reverse career fair”
“It’s a great way for students who have been making a wide range of projects and prototypes to show them off," says the event coordinator.
Video: Stem cells, lab to clinic
David Gamm, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute, and Forward Bio Institute director Bill Murphy explain how stem cell scientists at UW–Madison are working with industry to put scientific breakthroughs on the path to helping patients.
Citizen science monitoring program Journey North finds home at Arboretum
Journey North has more than 60,000 registered participants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. People report sightings from the field, view maps, take photographs and submit observations.
UW Women at 150: Computer scientist Thelma Estrin
Thelma Estrin was an early pioneer of the field of medical informatics — the now commonplace practice of applying computers to medical research and treatment. She also was something of a trailblazer for women hoping to pursue careers in the sciences.
Microbes hitched to insects provide a rich source of new antibiotics
A UW–Madison research team found that insect-borne microbes often outperformed soil bacteria in stopping some of the most common and dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Hardy scientists launch weather balloon in bitter cold
Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Grant Petty and a group of students launch a helium-filled weather balloon from frozen Lake Mendota at sunrise on Jan. 31.
At UW–Madison’s Antarctic outpost, they take this kind of weather in stride
Temperatures in Madison rivaled those in Antarctica on Wednesday and Thursday, prompting the city to all but shutter its doors. But for researchers at UW–Madison’s IceCube project, an enormous particle telescope built in the ice beneath the South Pole, it was just another day at the office.
Genes behind lager yeast’s cold- and sugar-loving success revealed
Behind the world’s most popular alcoholic beverage is a yeast adapted to the cold. New research has shown how modern lager yeast adopted the cold-loving and sugar-hungry traits essential to their success.
As the climate warms, tens of thousands of lakes may spend winters ice free
A new study from an international team of researchers, including at UW–Madison, shows that many northern latitude lakes are at risk of experiencing some ice-free winters in the coming decades.
Undergrads design ventilator device; form company to aid newborns during surgery
Undergraduates in biomedical engineering created an improved "wye" that connects airway tubes for infants during surgery. They've applied for a provisional patent.
As climate heats up, rising rainfall averages hide crop-killing droughts
Research performed in the Ethiopian highlands shows that even in years with above average rainfall, crops can be severely reduced by drought early in the growing season, when seeds must sprout and get established.
Gamma ray telescope ready for prime time
A new telescope, part of an international effort to develop and build the world’s largest, most sensitive gamma-ray detector, was unveiled to the public Thursday. UW–Madison scientists developed a camera at the heart of the telescope.
Human respiratory viruses continue to spread in wild chimpanzees
Less than two years after the first report of wild chimpanzees in Uganda dying as a result of a human “common cold” virus, a new study has identified two other respiratory viruses of human origin in chimpanzee groups in the same forest.
New method assesses lead hazard in soil
UW-Madison researchers describe a way to use a common, low-cost soil test to determine how much of the lead is bioaccessible, and therefore dangerous.
A new kind of mosquito repellent that comes from bacteria
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers describe the first mosquito-repelling compounds to be derived from bacteria, and they appear to work at lower doses than repellents currently on the market.
With fire, warming and drought, Yellowstone forests could be grassland by mid-century
“It’s terrifying in some ways,” says Monica Turner, who has been researching in Yellowstone for decades. “We are not talking many years away. Today’s college students will be mid-career. It feels like the future is coming at us fast.”
Stem cells: How we got here, where we’re going
This is the first in a series of four videos about stem cell research at UW–Madison: how it started, what it's achieved, and where it's headed. Catch up on what's happened since James Thomson's prescient prediction that stem cells "will change medicine, period."