Category Science & Technology
UW spinoffs win awards, including top honor, at Governor’s Business Plan Contest
The grand prize went to NovoMoto, which packages and sells solar lighting systems under an innovative rent-to-own program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read More
Searching the sea, and bacterial battles, for new antibiotics
Researchers in pharmacy and bacteriology say their discovery would not have been possible without a cross-college collaboration going back nearly a decade. Read More
Hurricanes are slowing down, and that’s bad news
The storms are spending increased time over land, leading to catastrophic local rainfall and flooding, according to a new study by a climate researcher based at UW–Madison. Read More
UW physicists, CERN announce discovery of Higgs boson interactions
This is the first time scientists have measured the Higgs boson’s direct interaction with top quarks. Studying these particles gives clues about the nature of matter and mass in the universe. Read More
Thank the moon for Earth’s lengthening day
A new study that reconstructs the deep history of our planet’s relationship to the moon shows that 1.4 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted just over 18 hours. Read More
UW collaboration builds resilience in the wake of Hurricane Maria
Shane Hubbard has long been working to help emergency managers and their communities understand their risks with respect to natural hazards so they can develop mitigation plans and manage during severe weather. Read More
Count on it: Peering at atomic structures with no more than pencil and paper
The simple strategy could help bring about ultrafast computer chips based on materials other than silicon, says Jason Kawasaki, a UW–Madison professor of materials science and engineering. Read More
The brains behind the traffic: 4 questions for mobility maven
David Noyce, director of the Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory in the UW–Madison College of Engineering, is at the forefront of efforts to streamline highway and vehicle infrastructure for greater safety and efficiency. Read More
TEAM Lab provides hands-on learning experience in modern machine shop facility
With countless tools and machines, the possibilities for bringing an idea to life are endless at the College of Engineering’s Technical… Read More
Air Force-backed center to make machine learning more independent, predictable, secure
Much remains mysterious in the realm of machine learning. The next generation of machine learning algorithms is expected to not only bolster national defense capabilities, but also benefit civilians. Read More
UW project asks: What happens to irrigation water in Wisconsin’s Central Sands?
“You can't grow much here without irrigation," says farmer Justin Isherwood, "but we’re not sure how much is enough, and how to leave the same groundwater resource for the next generation." Read More
UW–Madison alumni, students forge team to aid proposed NASA mission
A group of UW–Madison students used a foundry to cast a stand-in for a spacecraft that may rendezvous with a comet two decades from now. Read More
Wild Wisconsin yeast find their way into bread, beer, and class
A Sheboygan strain of yeast is being tried in both bread and beer, through the work of UW–Madison and its industry partners. One question to be answered: How does it taste? Read More
Training compassion ‘muscle’ may boost brain’s resilience to others’ suffering
A new study suggests that compassion meditation training may reduce the distress a person feels when witnessing another’s suffering. It may also improve their ability and likelihood to respond with compassion. Read More
Study bolsters bats’ reputation as mosquito devourers
New UW–Madison research conducted throughout Wisconsin suggests that bats may indeed be effective exterminators of mosquitoes. Read More
A hidden world of communication, chemical warfare, beneath the soil
New research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows how some harmful microbes have to contend not just with a farmer’s chemical attacks, but also with their microscopic neighbors — and themselves turn to chemical warfare to ward off threats. Read More
Ultralight science: Boundary layer measurements from low-flying source
A professor is using an ultralight aircraft to conduct a research project aimed at better understanding the Earth’s atmosphere. Instruments strapped to the wings and the cockpit of the aircraft collect atmospheric data while it is airborne. Read More
Homo naledi had a tiny brain but it looked a lot like ours
Scientists and nonscientists alike have often associated larger brains with greater intelligence, but a new study may challenge that notion. “Maybe brain size isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” says John Hawks, one of the study’s corresponding authors. Read More
Study shows yogurt may dampen chronic inflammation linked to multiple diseases
New UW–Madison research indicates that ongoing consumption of yogurt may have a general anti-inflammatory effect. Read More
UW-Madison biomanufacturer offers essential gene-transfer capacity
A UW–Madison lab that makes proteins, antibodies and viruses has begun manufacturing a virus critical to experimental treatments for many genetic conditions. Read More