UW In The News

Study identifies predictors of early death among autistic people

“Our goal was to identify factors that service systems, physicians and families could focus in on, as a way of maybe addressing the disparity,” says lead investigator Marsha Mailick, emerita professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin’s Waisman Center in Madison.

How To Share Science In A World Of Fake News

Featured: Dietram Scheufele studies the science of science communication and researches public attitudes and policy dynamics regarding science. He is a professor in science communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Reflecting on 30 Years of Forgiveness Science

It was great to be able to share our knowledge on the science of forgiveness, which we began to examine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985, to aid in the advancement of this important area of research.

–Robert Enright, UW–Madison

Astronaut twins, Nepal tornado and malaria vaccine

Quoted: Tornadoes are typically formed by thunderstorms known as supercells, which are not usually found in Nepal, says Leigh Orf, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

‘White Dreams’: Where Do Our Minds Go When We Fall Asleep?

In a 2017 study, Francesca Siclari at Lausanne University Hospital and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin at Madison invited 32 participants to spend a night in the lab while EEG electrodes on the scalp recorded their brain activity as they slept.

Hidden Brain: America’s Changing Attitudes Toward Gay People

Public opinion about gay rights has shifted enormously in the United States over the past few decades. What are some of the factors that have led to this historic change in attitudes?

–Featured: William Cox, assistant scientist, Dept of Sociology

Anesthesia nightmare: what it feels like to wake up during surgery

General anaesthesia, in contrast, aims to do just that, creating an unresponsive drug-induced coma or controlled unconsciousness that is deeper and more detached from reality even than sleep, with no memories of any events during that period. As Robert Sanders, an anaesthetist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, puts it: “We’ve apparently ablated this period of time from that person’s experience.”

UW to open Prevention Research Center

UW-Madison will open Wisconsin’s first Prevention Research Center this fall, thanks to a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nepali scientists record country’s first tornado

Quoted: In countries such as the United States, which is hit by some 1,200 tornadoes every year, these rotating columns of wind are identified using Doppler radar imagery, says Leigh Orf, an atmospheric scientist at University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Americans are having less sex and here’s why it matters

Quoted: “The economic issues are real and significant,” Christine Whelan, director of Money, Relationships and Equality Initiative in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told TODAY. “Increasingly what both men and women are looking for it a good financial prospect.”

New Study Reveals the Dangers of Long Commutes During Pregnancy

In a new study published earlier this year, researchers at Lehigh University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison found a link between the distance a woman travels to work every day while pregnant and the health outcomes for her child, including low birth weight, the likelihood of a C-section, and intrauterine growth restriction, or when a baby doesn’t reach a normal size as measured throughout the pregnancy.

Ilhan Omar, Katie Bouman, Commute While Pregnant: Broadsheet April 15

But there’s another link discovered by researchers at Lehigh University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison—between infant health and the distance a woman has to travel to get to her job every day.

UW-Madison band director Mike Leckrone conducts his last concerts this week; here are 5 ways he’s being celebrated

University of Wisconsin Band Director Mike Leckrone has become a Madison icon. Leckrone, 82, took over the band in 1969, when it was what he called “a sleeping giant.”

Making peace in the Golan Heights—between humans and wolves

Meanwhile, not a single study in the U.S. has shown that killing wolves reduces depredation, says Francisco Santiago-Ávila, a Ph.D. student at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Carnivore Coexistence Lab.

Philippine Fossils Add Surprising New Species to Human Family Tree

Quoted: One strange event may be luck; two suggest something more interesting,” asserts John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

New figures for autism prevalence in China point to previous neglect

Quoted: “This approach is much more labor intensive than the CDC’s approach,” says Maureen Durkin, professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who leads the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. “It’s true that the more you look for autism, the more you’ll find.”

Trump To Meet With South Korea’s Moon Jae-In To Discuss North Korea Negotiations

Quoted: Moon will be looking for a South Korean exception to international sanctions on North Korea, said David Fields, the associate director of the Center of East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The case for not watching ‘Game of Thrones’ on Sunday

Quoted: University of Wisconsin psychologist Shilagh A. Mirgain has offered tips on how to avoid a crash landing, such as savoring the memories and planning a new goal or happy event. “I’m a big fan of repurposing and thinking about what’s next,” Mirgain said. “When I come back from vacation I have my next travel destination chosen. Athletes can focus on the next race, and someone who just had a wedding could start thinking about the honeymoon or one-year anniversary.”

UW System joins national coalition to prevent sexual harassment on college campuses

The UW System, which has fielded a raft of misconduct complaints at universities around the state, announced Wednesday it was joining a national coalition to prevent sexual harassment on college campuses.

”Freedom Farmers’ by Monica White argues for black food justice

Noted: Reading Monica M. White’s new book, “Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement” (University of North Carolina Press), I couldn’t help but think about the family farm my mother grew up on, and the supportive community of black farmers our family was a part of in Florida’s Panhandle.

UW Varsity Band’s spring concert is director Mike Leckrone’s final curtain

Spectators want more than a show. They want to witness UW Bands director Mike Leckrone’s last “last”: the sold-out concert series — slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday — that will cap an end to a storied 50-year career before he retires this academic year.

Experts warn about the dangerous new superbug Candida auris

Quoted: Jeniel Nett, MD, PhD, and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Medical Microbiology & Immunology at the  University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, tells Salon Candida auris has emerged as a public health threat for many reasons.

Texas legislation needs context for claim about crime, immigration status

Quoted: Michael Light, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said totals for charges or convictions, like the number offered in Bettencourt’s resolution, are fine to consider, but they don’t offer much insight into overall safety or behavior.

Progress made towards blood test for colon cancer

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have identified four blood-based protein markers associated with the pre-cancerous forms of colon cancer that are most likely to develop into disease, according to a new report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For hospital patients, bedside tablets and apps are providing some control over care

Michelle Kelly, a pediatric hospitalist at the American Family Children’s Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who helped develop a tool kit for implementing patient bedside portals at children’s hospitals, said parents are often the most engaged patient advocates.

UniverCity Program Blends Student Research With Local Government Challenges

UniverCity is in its third year at UW-Madison. It’s helped or is in the process of helping the city of Monona, Dane County and Green County.

Lots of trees can help keep cities cooler in summer

“We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities,” explains says Monica Turner, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was a co-author of the study. “Keeping temperatures more comfortable on hot summer days can make a big difference for those of us who live and work there.”

What Else Is in Your Ice Cream These Days?

Quoted: There are two main schools of thought about choosing a “healthy” ice cream, according to Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “On the one hand, you have consumers who want the fewest ingredients possible,” he says. “On the other, you have customers who want their ice cream to have specific ‘attributes,’ such as no sugar added or nonfat.”

Can Ice Cream Ever Be Healthy?

Quoted: In its simplest form, ice cream has just four ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring, such as vanilla. For many years, there were limited options in overall ingredients, composition, and flavor, says Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the department of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

‘Beauty spots’ in human genome found

Humans tend to be preoccupied with beauty — a person’s attractiveness is associated with academic performance, career success and economic mobility, said researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.