Category Science & Technology
Scientists capture most detailed images yet of tiny cellular machines
A grandfather clock is, on its surface, a simple yet elegant machine. Tall and stately, its job is to steadily tick away the time. But a look inside reveals a much more intricate dance of parts, from precisely-fitted gears to cable-embraced pulleys and bobbing levers. Read More
UW-Madison links with New York museum to collect games and learning data
Leaning over a multitouch table, middle schoolers examine a digital underwater environment, shifting blocks across the screen and building lures to capture computerized fish. While the game introduces engineering principles and logic through an entertaining vehicle, the surface of the table is only half the story. Read More
Beginning of time to unfold at UW–Madison Space Place
Eavesdrop on the beginning of time this Friday evening (May 30, 2014) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Space Place, 2300 S. Park St. Read More
Buried fossil soils found to be awash in carbon
Soils that formed on the Earth’s surface thousands of years ago and that are now deeply buried features of vanished landscapes have been found to be rich in carbon, adding a new dimension to our planet’s carbon cycle. Read More
Babbling brooks adding to climate change?
Studying stream bubbles isn't exactly a walk in the park - what with the mud and ticks, the long days hiking and swimming through mucky streams, the sun exposure and scratching brush. Read More
Tinkering fosters business success for Internet of Things Lab
At first, the students considered creating an app or a smart device. But when they got down to it, they decided simplicity really is bliss. Read More
The color of blood: Pigment helps stage symbiosis in squid
The small but charismatic Hawaiian bobtail squid is known for its predator-fooling light organ. Read More
Study shows tropical cyclone intensity shifting poleward
The latitude at which tropical cyclones reach their greatest intensity is gradually shifting from the tropics toward the poles at rates of about 33 to 39 miles per decade, according to a study published today (May 14, 2014) in the journal Nature. Read More
Mackie to receive highest honor in medical physics
Thomas "Rock" Mackie, director of medical engineering at the Morgridge Institute for Research, will receive the highest honor in the field of medical physics for his far-reaching contributions to medical imaging. Read More
Research by UW shapes national climate report
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers, including many affiliated with the Nelson Institute, contributed to the third U.S. National Climate Assessment released by the White House on May 6. Read More
Disposable timer could be a nurse’s best friend
In medicine, time isn't just money: it can mean the difference between life and death. Clot-busters must be given in the first hour of arrival in a hectic emergency room. Intravenous medications can spoil, and catheters that overstay their welcome invite infection. Read More
Citizen scientists provide clarity for lake researchers’ big questions
A massive new study of water clarity trends in Midwestern lakes is sure to make some waves in scientific circles. The study involved nearly a quarter of a million observations in 3,251 lakes spread across eight states, and data dating back seven decades. But it’s where that data came from that’s truly noteworthy. For the report, published online April 30 in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers turned exclusively to citizen scientists. Read More
De-extinction: Will dead species live again?
De-extinction is a recent term that involves bringing back an extinct species using DNA that’s been recovered from preserved material. There are two ways that it can be accomplished: one would be cloning to produce a copy of an extinct individual’s genome. The second way is through genetic engineering to re-create a close approximation of what the extinct species’ genome might have once been. The reality is that it’s no longer science fiction. We’re getting close to being able to revive extinct species from recovered DNA. Read More
It’s not all wedded bliss: Marital stress linked to depression
Marital stress may make people more vulnerable to depression, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers and their colleagues. Read More
Lighting up the lab: Team harnesses light for controlled chemical reaction
When chemist Tehshik Yoon looks out his office window, he sees a source of energy to drive chemical reactions. Plants “learned” to synthesize chemicals with sunlight eons ago; Yoon came to the field a bit more recently. But this week, in the journal Science, he and three collaborators detail a way to use sunlight and two catalysts to create molecules that are difficult to make with conventional techniques — a finding that may eventually have implications for drug making and materials science. Read More
Annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium to focus on blood
World stem cell leaders will converge on Promega's BioPharmaceutical Technology Center in Fitchburg on April 30 for the 9th Annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium: From Stem Cells to Blood. Read More
UV light-emitting bandage wins Qualcomm Innovation Prize
A smart, ultraviolet therapeutic bandage won the top prize and $15,000 at the 2014 Qualcomm Innovation competition at UW–Madison. The Power Wearables team of biomedical engineer Mehdi Shokoueinejad, electrical and computer engineers Akshay Kumar and Yei-Hwan Jung created the MicroViolet Patch to combine phototherapy with a typical adhesive bandage. Read More
UW-Madison’s Gourse elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
University of Wisconsin–Madison bacteriologist Richard L. Gourse is among leaders from academia, business, public affairs and the arts and humanities elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, it was announced today (Wednesday, April 23). Read More
First in the nation: UW–Madison establishes post-doc in feminist biology
Feminist biology - which attempts to uncover and reverse gender bias in biology - will be the focus of a new, endowed fellowship in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Made-in-Wisconsin atom probe assisted dating of oldest piece of earth
It's a scientific axiom: big claims require extra-solid evidence. So there were skeptics in 2001 when University of Wisconsin–Madison geoscience professor John Valley dated an ancient crystal found in Australia to 4.4 billion years ago. The date, after all, was only 100 million years after Earth started to solidify from a ball of molten rock. Read More