Category Science & Technology
Education, surgery try “speed dating” for research
Dr. Craig Kent, chairman of surgery, said he hopes that it is at least as successful as a 2010 “speed dating” event with engineering faculty. That one resulted in several research partnerships between surgeons and engineers. Read More
Scientists ID 10-year water-level cycle in Great Lakes basin; say current lows buck trend
For at least the last 70 years, lakes and aquifers in northern Wisconsin have followed the same pattern - after higher than average peaks, water levels spend about 10 years on a downward trend before abruptly spiking up again, only to repeat the decade-long fall back to low-water conditions. Read More
Fish forced into the ‘foraging arena’ when lakes lose their trees
In attempts to predict what climate change will mean for life in lakes, scientists have mainly focused on two things: the temperature of the water and the amount of oxygen dissolved in it. But a new study from University of Wisconsin researchers is speaking for the trees - specifically, the dead ones that have toppled into a lake's near shore waters. Read More
Grad student’s proteins cut a rug, win ‘Dance Your Ph.D.’ competition
Graduate school research can get long and tricky and complex beyond the easy understanding even of your fellow grad students. Unless it has a beat, that is, and you can dance to it. Read More
Sleep is the price the brain pays for learning
Two leading sleep scientists from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health say that their synaptic homeostasis hypothesis of sleep or “SHY” challenges the theory that sleep strengthens brain connections. Read More
Skop elected to society’s board
Ahna Skop, associate professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been elected to the board of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Read More
Study identifies gene mutation as cause of canine tremor disorder
Weimaraners – sleek, athletic dogs originally bred for hunting - are known for their striking, silver-tinged coats. Unfortunately, they also are known for a rare tremor disorder reported widely throughout North America and Europe. Read More
UW researchers link protein with breast cancer’s spread to the brain
A cancer-research team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has identified a protein that may be a major culprit when breast cancer metastasizes to the brain. Read More
CALS researchers developing novel treatment for septic shock
By the time doctors diagnose septic shock, patients often are on a knife’s edge. At that point, for every hour that treatment is delayed, a person’s risk of death rises an alarming six percent. Read More
Even or odd: no easy feat for the mind
Even scientists are fond of thinking of the human brain as a computer, following sets of rules to communicate, make decisions and find a meal. Read More
Documentary connects multiple sclerosis, Vikings and Nordic skiing
Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease that affects more than 400,000 Americans, attacks the nervous system and causes many symptoms, including difficulty moving. But many who suffer from the disease defy its effects by maintaining an active lifestyle. Read More
Poverty influences children’s early brain development
Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Wisconsin engineer honored for ongoing innovation
Corn may be a dietary staple for humans and animals around the world, but in Jim Dumesic's eyes, the plant "waste" left after the harvest holds even more potential as a renewable bio-based source of fuels and important chemicals. On Dec. 10, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) named Dumesic, the Steenbock professor and Michel Boudart professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, among 143 leading innovators elected to its 2013 class of fellows. Read More
Anthropologist, ‘underground astronaut’ strike fossil gold in South Africa dig
Squeezing through a gap called the International Postbox and climbing the jagged Dragon's Back were not in Alia Gurtov's plans for the fall semester, but she made an exception in order to participate in a wildly successful archaeological expedition into a South African cave. Read More
Fledgling supernova remnant reveals neutron star’s secrets
With the help of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array, an international team of astronomers has identified the glowing wreck of a star that exploded a mere 2,500 years ago — the blink of an eye in astronomical terms. Read More
Estrogen: Not just produced by the ovaries
A University of Wisconsin–Madison research team reports today that the brain can produce and release estrogen - a discovery that may lead to a better understanding of hormonal changes observed from before birth throughout the entire aging process. Read More
Despite flat spending, UW–Madison inches up in research rankings
Despite flat research expenditures nationwide, the University of Wisconsin–Madison research enterprise grew by a tad more than 5 percent in 2012 and inched up to number three in the rankings among all U.S. universities, according to statistics released by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Read More
Perennial energy crops could provide environmental benefits
Rows of corn and soybeans cover rolling hills, stitched together by creeks and woodlands that compose southwest Wisconsin's agricultural patchwork. These complex landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and climate benefits, yet, historically their value has been measured in just one way: bushels per acre. Read More
Four UW–Madison professors named AAAS fellows
Four members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty are among 338 individuals elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), it was announced today (Monday, Nov. 25). Read More
UW-Madison senior wins Rhodes Scholarship
University of Wisconsin–Madison senior Drew Birrenkott has been awarded a 2014 Rhodes Scholarship. He joins an elite group of students that have received one of the top honors in higher education. Read More