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Category Science & Technology

Researchers capture speedy chemical reaction in mid-stride

September 13, 2013

In synthetic chemistry, making the best possible use of the needed ingredients is key to optimizing high-quality production at the lowest possible cost. Read More

UW-Madison alumnus wins major award for exploring chemistry of the nervous system

September 11, 2013

Richard Scheller, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a B.S. in biochemistry in 1974, has shared the 2013 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research for work explaining how messenger chemicals move between nerve cells. Read More

Weather: More data + more computers = better forecasts

September 9, 2013

Been beefing about weather forecasts? Did the “experts” miss a thunderstorm, botch the rainfall prediction, mistake cloudy for sunny or windy for calm? You’re not alone. Forecasts of weather are already way better than forecasts of, say, unemployment or grain harvests, but that doesn’t lead us to predict that the caterwauling over weather forecasts will dampen. Read More

In whole-lake experiment, have invasive crayfish met their match?

September 6, 2013

Four years ago, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers wrapped up a multi-year effort to dramatically reduce the population of a destructive invasive species in a northern Wisconsin lake. Read More

Improved computing provides a better look at the cosmos

September 6, 2013

Building a neutrino telescope - a unique instrument that detects extremely small, high energy particles - out of 5,000 optical sensors embedded in a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice, a tremendous engineering feat, was just the first challenge. Read More

Massive storm pulls water and ammonia ices from Saturn’s depths

September 3, 2013

Now, thanks to near-infrared spectral measurements taken by NASA’s Cassini orbiter and analysis of near-infrared color signatures by researchers at UW–Madison, Saturn’s superstorm is helping scientists flesh out a picture of the composition of the planet’s atmosphere at depths typically obscured by a thick high-altitude haze. Read More

Informatics of ‘making’ aims to unite computing, materials and manufacturing advances

September 3, 2013

Materials science, computing and manufacturing have all evolved into formidable forces on their own in recent years. Support for materials innovation is surging; computing and information are taking on an ever more powerful role in research; and American manufacturing faces a transformation at the hands of the “maker” movement and of major government and industry initiatives. Read More

Microbiome and human health workshop

August 29, 2013

The opportunity to couple this emerging field and a traditional strength of UW–Madison — large longitudinal studies such as the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study; the Beaver Dam Eye Study; MIDUS, Midlife in the United States; and the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort — will be explored in a small, one-day workshop to be sponsored by the Center for Demography of Health and Aging and the Center for Demography and Ecology. Read More

Tasty Solution: Better beverages for people who have trouble swallowing

August 23, 2013

After having a stroke in 2008, Jan Blume lost the ability to swallow for two full years. As she slowly regained that vital function, she faced a new challenge: drinking the thickened beverages that are recommended for people with swallowing problems, or dysphagia. She found the drinks almost intolerable. Read More

Geoscience field camp takes the classroom to the mountains

August 22, 2013

Tina Porter (B.S.’13, Geology and Geophysics) left the flat farmlands of Wisconsin for the rugged terrain of the Utah mountains this summer to put her geology skills to the test. Read More

Tuberculosis genomes portray secrets of pathogen’s success

August 21, 2013

By any measure, tuberculosis (TB) is a wildly successful pathogen. It infects as many as two billion people in every corner of the world, with a new infection of a human host estimated to occur every second. Read More

Discovery of new enzyme could yield better plants for biofuel

August 15, 2013

For nearly a decade, scientists have thought that they understood how plants produce lignin - a compound that gives plant tissues their structure and sturdiness, but can limit their use as a source of biofuels. Read More

Swimming through complex bodily fluids gets simpler

August 15, 2013

It's an uncomfortable truth of life that our bodily fluids are chock full of microscopic swimming organisms - maybe even more uncomfortable to researchers that those little swimmers do laps faster than the theories describing their motion would allow. Read More

First, fishing. Then, volleyball. Serious fun at Trout Lake Station

August 15, 2013

Angling for perch at sundown is just one of the perks of Wes Matthews’ summer research job at Trout Lake Station in Wisconsin’s north woods. Another is donning scuba gear and diving for lost equipment. The most important task, though, wouldn’t appeal to everyone. “Basically, I study what fish had for lunch,” says Matthews. Read More

Essential mechanism of symbiosis found in Hawaiian squid

August 14, 2013

Experiments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a small squid that glows in the dark have uncovered a complex conversation that allows the newly hatched squid to attract the glowing, symbiotic bacteria that disguises it against predators. Read More

New gene repair technique promises advances in regenerative medicine

August 12, 2013

Using human pluripotent stem cells and DNA-cutting protein from meningitis bacteria, researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research and Northwestern University have created an efficient way to target and repair defective genes. Read More

WID researcher locates “virtual eyes” to enhance 3D experience

August 9, 2013

3D movies are a popular trend this year, with countless films opting to include features that make viewers feel as though they are a part of the action. But what if 3D technologies in movies were not just a feature, but an entire, encapsulating experience? Read More

Recent sightings: Baldwin talks tech

August 9, 2013

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin meets with UW–Madison researchers and representatives from Isomark, a company commercializing a Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation-licensed technology to detect patient infections sooner than is currently possible. Read More