Category Science & Technology
After long hiatus, Washburn Observatory public viewing to resume
The observatory had closed unexpectedly in April 2014 when a motor and gear box that operate a sliding door on the dome malfunctioned. Read More
UW-Madison spinoff receives construction permit for medical isotope plant in Janesville
This is the first time since 1961 that the NRC has issued a permit for a facility to make the life-saving isotopes. Read More
Arboretum review seeks to strengthen iconic research program
The Arboretum was dedicated in 1934 and has served as a laboratory for generations of field ecologists, including the iconic conservationist Aldo Leopold. Read More
New climate model better predicts changes to ocean-carbon sink
Researchers shed light on the relationship between humans' carbon dioxide emissions and future climate change. Read More
3 researchers awarded prestigious Sloan Fellowships
The competitive awards are given to promising young researchers in the early stages of their careers. Read More
Siftr: Web tool for citizen science, ethnography, teaching
The Field Day Lab's creation is already in use in different corners of the globe and is gaining traction, especially among educators. Read More
Pagliarini earns presidential recognition for research on mitochondria
Dave Pagliarini has received the U.S. government’s highest honor for scientists in the early stages of their careers. Read More
60 years after pioneering survey, Wisconsin prairies are changing rapidly
Researchers have found that human influence has accelerated the rate of species change in these prairies and likely in other natural places. Read More
Statewide contest challenges Wisconsin students to grow crystals
The 3rd annual Wisconsin Crystal Growing Contest is now enrolling middle school, high school and home schooled students for the contest that starts March 1. Read More
New method for bio-designing yeast could improve biofuel production
Both the yeast strain and the method of its design could help overcome a significant bottleneck in the biofuels pipeline. Read More
Specimens from George Washington Carver discovered at UW–Madison
At least 25 specimens of fungi that infect plants, collected more than a century ago, were found in the Wisconsin State Herbarium. Read More
Wisconsin researchers transform common cell to master heart cell
If replicated in human cells, the feat could one day fuel drug discovery, powerful new models for heart disease and the raw material for treating diseased hearts. Read More
UW–Madison engineers create custom tuning knobs to turn off any gene
An advance by UW–Madison engineers allows scientists to fine-tune biological functions in their bacterial 'employees.' Read More
Grassland biofuels could benefit people and birds in Wisconsin and beyond
Converting marginal farmlands could also have other natural benefits, from creating habitat for pollinators to keeping nutrients in the soil and out of waterways. Read More
Professor, alumni named to National Academy of Engineering
A University of Wisconsin–Madison chemical and biological engineering professor, a chemical engineering alumnus and an engineering mechanics alumnus have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Read More
Power walk: Footsteps could charge mobile electronics
When you’re on the go and your smartphone battery is low, in the not-so-distant future you could charge it simply by plugging it into your shoe. Read More
Long-term picture offers little solace on climate change
A new study finds that the catastrophic impact of another three centuries of carbon pollution will persist millennia after the carbon dioxide releases cease. Read More
Small-scale protein production a big business for UW spinoff
Unlike many young biotech spinoffs, Fritz Schomburg's company — Lytic — earns its income not from federal research grants, but from shipping product. Read More
Lithium battery component found to harm key soil microorganism
The growing use of nanoscale materials in the rechargeable batteries that power portable electronics and electric vehicles may have untold environmental consequences. Read More
Virtual reality makes its best users the most queasy
In a twist of virtual fate, people with the best 3-D vision are also the people most likely to suffer from motion sickness while using virtual reality displays. Read More