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Tag Biosciences

Decades on, bacterium’s discovery feted as paragon of basic science

September 17, 2013

Over time, the esoteric and sometimes downright strange quests of science have proven easy targets for politicians and others looking for perceived examples of waste in government - and a cheap headline.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seminar explores role of proteins in health and disease

July 16, 2013

The Human Proteomics Program at UW–Madison and the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute on Aug. 1 will present the Wisconsin Human Proteomics Symposium: Targeted Proteomics and Systems Biology in Health and Disease.

Study puts troubling traits of H7N9 avian flu virus on display

July 10, 2013

The emerging H7N9 avian influenza virus responsible for at least 37 deaths in China has qualities that could potentially spark a global outbreak of flu, according to a new study published today (July 10, 2013) in the journal Nature.

Morgridge Institute taps biomedical innovator as chairman

June 21, 2013

The trustees of the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have named Fred Robertson as chairman, replacing outgoing chairman Ernie Micek, whose term as chair has ended and who will remain on the board.

Researchers unearth bioenergy potential in leaf-cutter ant communities

June 13, 2013

As spring warms up Wisconsin, humans aren't the only ones tending their gardens.

A virtual elephant from a marriage of biology, engineering, and art

May 29, 2013

The solid aluminum cast of an elephant on Warren Porter's desk has been waiting for 25 years.

Two researchers named Shaw scientists

May 24, 2013

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has chosen two University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers for 2013 Shaw Scientist Awards.

Vaterite: Crystal within a crystal helps resolve an old puzzle

April 25, 2013

With the help of a solitary sea squirt, scientists have resolved the longstanding puzzle of the crystal structure of vaterite, an enigmatic geologic mineral and biomineral.

New living, learning community to welcome biology students

April 24, 2013

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.

Madison startup company mounting two-pronged attack against influenza

April 22, 2013

As a new type of "bird flu" causes deaths and worries in China, a Madison startup is attacking the problem on two fronts. FluGen, under the scientific guidance of University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a world authority on influenza, is moving ahead with a better way to deliver existing vaccines and a novel "universal" flu vaccine.

Microbe shown to regulate its host’s biological clock

April 12, 2013

At a time when scientists are beginning to recognize the pervasive influence of microbes in a legion of plant and animal functions, new research shows a symbiotic bacterium setting the biological clock of its host animal.

In autism, age at diagnosis depends on specific symptoms

April 9, 2013

The age at which a child with autism is diagnosed is related to the particular suite of behavioral symptoms he or she exhibits, new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows.

Stem cell symposium to address heart, vascular disease

April 8, 2013

World leaders in the use of stem cells will gather Wednesday, April 10 at the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute in Fitchburg, Wis., for the eighth annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium, "Cell-Based Therapy for Heart & Vascular Disease: Pathways to Clinic."