Tag Biology
Plump turtles swim better: First models of swimming animals
For the first time, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have measured the forces that act on a swimming animal and the energy the animal must expend to move through the water. Read More
Climate change alters cast of winter birds
Over the past two decades, the resident communities of birds that attend eastern North America’s backyard bird feeders in winter have quietly been remade, most likely as a result of a warming climate. Writing this week in the journal Global Change Biology, University of Wisconsin–Madison wildlife biologists Benjamin Zuckerberg and Karine Princé document that once rare wintering bird species are now commonplace in the American Northeast. Read More
In memoriam: Ray D. Owen discovered immune tolerance, paved the way for organ transplantation
Ray D. Owen, who died on Sept. 21 in Pasadena, California, at the age of 98, discovered the phenomenon of immune tolerance, fueling a revolution in immunology and laying the foundation for the successful transplantation of human organs. Owen left Madison in 1947 to join the faculty at Caltech, where he remained for the rest of his long, distinguished career. His later work included studies on human antibodies, blood-group antigens, and the evolution of immune systems. Read More
Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance
Bent and tossed by the wind, a field of soybean plants presents a challenge for an Asian lady beetle on the hunt for aphids. But what if the air - and the soybeans - were still? Read More
A touching story: The ancient conversation between plants, fungi and bacteria
The mechanical force that a single fungal cell or bacterial colony exerts on a plant cell may seem vanishingly small, but it plays a heavy role in setting up some of the most fundamental symbiotic relationships in biology. In fact, it may not be too much of a stretch to say that plants may have never moved onto land without the ability to respond to the touch of beneficial fungi, according to a new study led by Jean-Michel Ané, a professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Pre-college programs open doors for leadership roles
Whether their connections were social, academic or professional, former participants in UW–Madison's summer residence programs through University Housing say the camps were essential for creating future opportunities. 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
Baby sea turtles spend ‘lost years’ in warm blankets of seaweed
Nosing their way out of eggs buried in sandy beaches from Florida’s east coast north into the Carolinas, baby loggerhead sea turtles race to the water as fast as their flippers will carry them and begin a swim frenzy to clear the predator-rich shore. Read More
What’s with sloths’ dangerous bathroom breaks? Maybe hunger
For the three-toed sloth, a trip to the restroom is no rest at all. It's a long, slow descent into mortal danger from the safety of home among the upper branches of the forest. Read More
UW scientist sniffs out possible new tick species
In June 2012, Tony Goldberg returned from one of his frequent trips to Kibale National Park, an almost 500-square-mile forest in western Uganda where he studies how infectious diseases spread and evolve in the wild. But he didn’t return alone. Read More
In whole-lake experiment, have invasive crayfish met their match?
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
Ned Kalin – revealing disorders of the brain
Dr. Ned Kalin, chair of the Department of Psychiatry, is an accomplished biological psychiatrist whose research focuses on anxiety. Through imaging studies and understanding the genetic and environmental components of mental illness, his lab is working toward discoveries that can form the basis of early interventions to treat children who are at risk of developing long-term anxiety and related psychiatric disorders. Read More
Symposium will focus on developmental biology
When former University of Wisconsin–Madison genetics professor Oliver Smithies won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, he dedicated a portion of his prize money to start a symposium to bring top biologists to campus as a resource for students, faculty, and staff. Read More
Thinking ‘big’ may not be best approach to saving large-river fish
Large-river specialist fishes - from giant species like paddlefish and blue catfish, to tiny crystal darters and silver chub - are in danger, but researchers say there is greater hope to save them if major tributaries identified in a University of Wisconsin–Madison study become a focus of conservation efforts. Read More
New living, learning community to welcome biology students
To help bio newbies get off to the right start, as many as 130 students will begin 2014 in BioHouse, the university’s 10th residential learning community. Read More
Analytical trick may accelerate cancer diagnosis
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found a new way to accelerate a workhorse instrument that identifies proteins. The high-speed technique could help diagnose cancer sooner and point to new drugs for treating a wide range of conditions. Read More
Outreach efforts earn UW–Madison employee award from public schools
There has been a marked increase in green slime, exploding volcanoes, and rockets blasting off in the Madison public schools over the past few years, thanks to the hard work of Dolly Ledin at UW–Madison’s Institute for Biology Education. Read More
Two UW–Madison academic staff educators receive teaching awards
Two University of Wisconsin–Madison educators are among the recipients of the UW System's 2011 Alliant Energy Underkofler Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Read More
Science teachers to get opportunity to explore evolution
Science teachers will have a unique opportunity to get inside evolution at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which has a long history of evolutionary researchers. Read More