Category Science & Technology
Amazing plans for ‘Amazing Race’ winner
You may know Maya Warren for her $1 million victory, shared with fellow food science grad student Amy DeJong, in the latest edition of the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race.” You likely do not know that, after she receives her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in August, she intends to homogenize her TV experience with her knowledge of ice cream, outgoing nature, and self-confidence to develop a show showcasing frozen desserts around the world. Read More
Science Expeditions opens doors to UW–Madison research March 20-22
Science Expeditions, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 13th annual science open house, will open the doors of dozens of campus attractions — and the expertise of scores of researchers — to thousands of curious visitors March 20-22. Read More
UW mascot Bucky Badger is namesake for newly discovered yeast
When you discover a new organism, you get to name it - but not for yourself. There are rules to the naming business in biology. You can, however, name it for the sponsor of your research. When Chris Hittinger and his group of yeast researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison found a rather aggressive yeast, it was natural to name it for the fierce carnivore that is the mascot of his home institution: Bucky Badger. Read More
Researchers develop new approach that combines biomass conversion, solar energy conversion
In a study published March 9 in Nature Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison chemistry Professor Kyoung-Shin Choi presents a new approach to combine solar energy conversion and biomass conversion, two important research areas for renewable energy. Read More
Move over Mozart: Study shows cats prefer their own beat
As more animal shelters, primate centers and zoos start to play music for their charges, it’s still not clear whether and how human music affects animals. Now, a study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows that while cats ignore our music, they are highly responsive to “music” written especially for them. The study is online at Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Read More
Center for Dairy Research turns yogurt waste into new products
With exploding consumer demand for Greek yogurt, production is up. That's great for food companies' bottom lines, but it also leaves them dealing with a lot more acid whey, a problematic byproduct of the Greek yogurt-making process. Read More
Munching bugs thwart eager trees, reducing the carbon sink
A new study published today [Monday, March 2, 2015] in Nature Plants shows that hungry, plant-eating insects may limit the ability of forests to take up elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing their capacity to slow human-driven climate change. Read More
Study reveals possible biological trigger for canine bone cancer
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) have identified the biological mechanism that may give some cancer cells the ability to form tumors in dogs. The recent study uncovered an association between the increased expression of a particular gene in tumor cells and more aggressive behavior in a form of canine bone cancer. It may also have implications for human cancers by detailing a new pathway for tumor formation. Read More
Computer sciences, mathematics professors win Sloan Fellowships
Two University of Wisconsin–Madison professors have been selected for Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships - an honor awarded on a competitive basis to promising young researchers in the early stages of their careers. Read More
Helping Wisconsin dairy farms produce ‘brown gold’
In the heart of Wisconsin, a project is underway to produce energy from a resource in little danger of running low: cow manure, also known as "brown gold." Read More
Johnson Controls partners with UW–Madison to reduce commercial energy costs
Johnson Controls began when founder Warren Johnson invented the thermostat in 1885, and today the Milwaukee-based controls company is working toward another major innovation in heating and cooling in collaboration with UW–Madison chemical engineers. A research group led by Jim Rawlings, the Paul A. Elfers professor and W. Harmon Ray professor of chemical and biological engineering, has partnered with Johnson Controls to develop better HVAC control systems for its clients in large commercial buildings. Read More
New fiber-optic monitoring tools could help industry unlock geothermal energy
University of Wisconsin–Madison geoscientists and engineers are working with industry partners and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a highly detailed monitoring system for geothermal wells. Read More
Contest seeks another round of amazing science images
To highlight the visual and scientific value of scientific imagery, the fifth annual Cool Science Image Contest is soliciting the best images from students and faculty and staff scientists on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Read More
Campus push to address crisis in U.S. biomedical research
The growing realization that the American biomedical research enterprise is unsustainable and requires a comprehensive fix will be the subject of a wide-ranging campus conversation to take place over the next few months. Read More
Sidebar: Sessions set to discuss biomedical research crisis
A series of campus-wide discussions to gather feedback and ideas from researchers — faculty, staff scientists, postdocs, and graduate students as well as administrative staff — on what many people believe is a crisis in U.S. biomedical research has been scheduled for March. Read More
Darwin Day celebration focuses on islands, isolation
What do Madagascar and Jurassic Park have in common? Both are island-based evolutionary “experiments” that will be highlighted in this year’s Darwin Day celebrations, sponsored by the J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution at UW–Madison and its partners. “Darwin Day 2015: Islands and Isolation” will run all day Thursday, Feb. 12, and focus on the unique opportunity that islands provide to witness evolution and the diversity of life. Read More
2013 research expenditure data show UW–Madison ranks 4th
According to figures released today by the National Science Foundation (NSF), research expenditures at the University of Wisconsin–Madison took a slight dip in 2013, landing Wisconsin’s flagship university in the number four spot among universities nationwide. Read More
UW botanist harnesses the grid to illuminate crop growth
With help from the Center for High Throughput Computing (CHTC), botany Professor Edgar Spalding is applying this astronomical sense of scale to our understanding of corn. Spalding uses the HTC capabilities pioneered by Miron Livny, Morgridge Institute for Research chief technology officer, to quantify the incredibly complex process of corn growth from seed to vigorous seedling — not just one at a time, but over thousands of samples. Read More
Carl Djerassi, UW grad who helped create ‘the pill,’ dies at 91
Carl Djerassi Photo: Bryce Richter Carl Djerassi, best known as a co-discoverer of the steroid hormone that became the basis for… Read More