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Migratory birds bear brunt of climate-charged weather

January 11, 2010

As global climate change fuels more frequent and intense hurricanes and droughts, migratory birds, especially those whose populations are already in decline, will bear the brunt of such climate-fueled weather, suggest a pair of new studies. Read More

Study: Second cochlear implant can restore two important facets of binaural hearing

January 11, 2010

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that stimulate auditory nerves directly, bypassing damage in the inner ear, and thus restoring some hearing. Although cochlear implants have revolutionized the treatment of deafness, many users have trouble understanding speech, particularly in crowds. Read More

Property tax increases drive few elderly to move out of their homes

January 7, 2010

Few elderly homeowners are forced to move from their homes because of property tax increases, according to a new study from a University of Wisconsin–Madison public affairs researcher and economists at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Read More

Research: One in 20 Milwaukee renter-occupied households evicted each year

January 4, 2010

Eviction is such a common occurrence in the lives of Milwaukee's urban poor that one renter-occupied household in every 20 is evicted each year, according to research based on an analysis of court records and a year's worth of sociology fieldwork from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More

Conservation areas threatened nationally by housing development

December 28, 2009

Conservationists have long known that lines on a map are not sufficient to protect nature because what happens outside those boundaries can affect what happens within. Now, a study by two University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists in the department of forest and wildlife ecology measures the threat of housing development around protected areas in the United States. Read More

Compound found to safely counter deadly bird flu

December 28, 2009

The specter of a drug-resistant form of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza is a nightmare to keep public-health officials awake at night. Read More

Depression saps endurance of the brain’s reward circuitry

December 28, 2009

A new study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion. Read More

Stellar mosh pit, complete with crashing stars, resolves a mystery

December 23, 2009

For almost 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over the youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers. Read More

Dental delight! Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals

December 21, 2009

Some of the most common minerals in biology, including those in bones and shells, have a mysterious structure: Their crystals are positioned in the same orientation, making them behave as one giant crystal, even though they do not look like a faceted crystal. Read More

Wisconsin cast-metals manufacturing benefits from $10 million federal grant

December 16, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a $10.1 million, five-year grant to an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin–Madison mechanical engineering professor Xiaochun Li. Read More

Surveying bird biodiversity from space?

December 16, 2009

A fundamental rule of wildlife ecology says that diverse habitats foster greater biodiversity: The Amazon has far more species than Greenland. But how do habitat and biodiversity relate in a state like Wisconsin, with its range of farms, forests, wetlands, cities, suburbs and highways? Read More

New process leads to smaller estimate for global urban area

December 16, 2009

Urbanization is one of the most important trends of the 21st century, yet we don't have a good idea of how much land cities occupy. Read More

Fighting the Grinch who stole Wisconsin’s Christmas trees

December 15, 2009

An entomology research team from UW–Madison aims to squash a grub that plagues as many as one-third of Wisconsin’s approximately 1,100 Christmas tree farms. Read More

Interactive animations give science students a boost

December 14, 2009

For a generation of students raised and nurtured at the computer keyboard, it seems like a no-brainer that computer-assisted learning would have a prominent role in the college science classroom. Read More

New structure could produce efficient semiconductor laser sources

December 14, 2009

University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have achieved a nanoscale laser structure they anticipate will produce semiconductor lasers in the next two years that are more than twice as efficient as current continuous-wave lasers emitting in the mid-infrared. Read More

UW-Madison, Beloit partnership produces water-run scooter

December 8, 2009

At first glance, a 50-cc Vespa scooter and a squad car may not appear to have much in common. Read More

Greenhouse gas carbon dioxide ramps up aspen growth

December 4, 2009

The rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be fueling more than climate change. It could also be making some trees grow like crazy. Read More

Giant collider back in gear, sets record for collision intensity

December 2, 2009

On Nov. 30, the world's largest scientific instrument, the Large Hadron Collider, set a record when it smashed one stream of protons against another and then accelerated the beams to 1.18 trillion electron volts, exceeding the record held by Fermilab in Illinois since 2001. Read More

Exhibit explores state of science at time of Darwin’s book

November 23, 2009

“Science Circa 1859: On the Eve of Darwin’s Origin of Species,” opening Monday, Nov. 23, in the Department of Special Collections at Memorial Library, explores the state of science before Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking book arrived on the scene 150 years ago. Read More