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Category Science & Technology

UW mascot Bucky Badger is namesake for newly discovered yeast

March 13, 2015

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

March 10, 2015

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

March 10, 2015

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

March 6, 2015

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

March 2, 2015

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

February 25, 2015

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

February 23, 2015

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’

February 20, 2015

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

February 19, 2015

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

February 16, 2015

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

February 10, 2015

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

February 10, 2015

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

February 10, 2015

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

February 9, 2015

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

UW botanist harnesses the grid to illuminate crop growth

February 4, 2015

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

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation near the top of the patent charts for 2013

January 29, 2015

In 2013, with 160 patents, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) was near the pinnacle of the university patent heap. Read More