Tag College of Letters & Science
Political scientist named to panel studying pre-primary polling
Unraveling the mystery behind why pre-election polls in the New Hampshire presidential primary were so dramatically off-target is the mission of a select panel that includes Charles Franklin, a nationally known polling expert and political scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Photo, seismograph from Mendota ‘Ice Quake’ posted
The shaking felt Thursday afternoon in areas near Lake Mendota was most likely an ice quake, according to University of Wisconsin–Madison geologists. A tremor was recorded by a geology department seismometer at 12:50 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, and lasted approximately two or three seconds.
More than $100 million spent on presidential ads, little in Super Tuesday states
Presidential candidates spent $107 million on television advertising so far this season, with nearly all of it spent in the run-up to the earliest primaries and caucuses and almost none of it on Super Tuesday states, a University of Wisconsin–Madison study shows.
Curiosities: How can a tornado occur in January?
Tornadoes can happen whenever atmospheric conditions are suitable, says Steve Ackerman, professor of atmospheric science at UW–Madison. Over the years, Wisconsin has had…
Wisconsin Advertising Project to analyze 2008 political ads
All evidence points to 2008 being a record year for political ad spending. The University of Wisconsin–Madison's Wisconsin Advertising Project, will again lead a project to code and analyze nearly all of the political advertising that is aired in 2008 races across the country.
Nylon reveals its antibiotic powers
Nylon, we know, is incredibly versatile, strong and resilient. Now, it may be possible to add antibiotic powers to the list of qualities for the wonder synthetic material.
Computer programming team places first in regional competition
The UW–Madison computer programming team "Red No. 40" beat 198 other teams to place first in the North Central Regional Competition of the International Collegiate Programming Competition in early November, qualifying the team to compete in the World Finals in April.
Gifts establish ‘best ever’ UW–Madison music scholarships
Glen A. Skillrud and Winifred Skillrud of San Antonio, Texas, have made gifts to establish what are being called the two best undergraduate scholarships in the history of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Music.
Arsenic contamination lacks one-size-fits-all remedy
Though a worldwide problem, arsenic contamination of drinking water does not have a universal solution, recent work by UW–Madison researchers has shown.
Waterborne carbon increases threat of environmental mercury
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and a worrisome environmental contaminant, but the severity of its threat appears to depend on what else is in the water, researchers at UW–Madison have found.
Genome study places modern humans in the evolutionary fast lane
Countering a common theory that human evolution has slowed to a crawl or even stopped in modern humans, a new study by UW–Madison researchers examining data from an international genomics project describes the past 40,000 years as a time of supercharged evolutionary change.
Family, memories at core of anthropologist’s new book
A UW–Madison anthropologist first decided to write a book about her family when she was 10 years old, a decision she made while growing up in Bombay, the child of an American mother and an Indian father.
What lies beneath: Growth of root cells remarkably dynamic, study finds
A new UW–Madison study, publishing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that certain plant cells pulse as they grow.
Recipe for a storm: The ingredients for more powerful Atlantic hurricanes
As the world warms, the interaction between the Atlantic Ocean and atmosphere may be the recipe for stronger, more frequent hurricanes.
Beowulf’s world comes to life in new book
A new Hollywood film opening in theaters Friday, Nov. 16, employs special effects wizardry to tell the story of Beowulf, but a just-released illustrated edition of the epic tale from a UW–Madison English professor comes much closer to showing us the world where the action takes place.
Bridging the divide between math and biology
As a mathematician who has navigated the field of biology for nearly a decade, mathematics professor Julie Mitchell has some sage advice for those who choose to follow. Never hesitate to ask a “dumb” question. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something. Meanwhile, show some bravado.
Deep-sea drilling expedition off Japan seeks earthquake, tsunami causes
Harold Tobin is interested in deep scientific questions, whose answers lie thousands of meters underwater. The UW–Madison geologist studies deep oceanic earthquake faults, which extend miles into the Earth’s crust below the seafloor, to learn what causes earthquakes and tsunamis.
Beowulf expert says Hollywood makeover may do justice to epic poem
The epic poem "Beowulf" has all the elements for a Hollywood film: action, monsters and classic battles of good vs. evil. But it also features a "monastic" hero with little sex appeal whose story is told in Old English, a combination that wouldn't exactly fill seats with movie fans.
Tool-wielding chimps provide a glimpse of early human behavior
Chimpanzees inhabiting a harsh savanna environment and using bark and stick tools to exploit an underground food resource are giving scientists new insights to the behaviors of the earliest hominids who, millions of years ago, left the African forests to range the same kinds of environments and possibly utilize the same foods.
Computer scientist forges new line of defense against malicious traffic
Paul Barford has watched malicious traffic on the Internet evolve from childish pranks to a billion-dollar "shadow industry" in the last decade, and his profession has largely been one step behind the bad guys.