Tag Research
Engineer James Dumesic named to ‘Scientific American 50’
James Dumesic, Chemical and Biological Engineering Steenbock Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has received a 2007 Scientific American "SciAm 50" award for his innovative alternative fuels research.
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.
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.
Stem cells show power to predict disease, drug toxicity
For the first time, scientists have used human embryonic stem cells to predict the toxic effects of drugs and provide chemical clues to diagnosing disease.
Waistline growth on high-carb diets linked to liver gene
Experts have been warning for years that foods loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and other processed carbohydrates are making us fatter. Now, a University of Wisconsin–Madison study has uncovered the genetic basis for why this is so.
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.
Nanotech’s health, environment impacts worry scientists
The unknown human health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology are a bigger worry for scientists than for the public, according to a new report published Nov. 25 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
UW-Madison scientists guide human skin cells to embryonic state
In a paper to be published Nov. 22 in the online edition of the journal Science, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers reports the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells.
Book documents economic, health disparities that women encounter in retirement
A new book by a UW–Madison professor addresses disadvantages that can impede women from achieving economic and health security when they retire.
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.
Post-Kyoto environmental discussion to take place at UW–Madison
This December in Bali, new international talks will be launched to determine the successor of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The science has spoken. We know the problem is real, but how do we move forward with a solution?
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.
Health toll of climate change seen as ethical crisis
The public health costs of global climate change are likely to be the greatest in those parts of the world that have contributed least to the problem, posing a significant ethical dilemma for the developed world, according to a new study.
Wildfire drives carbon levels in northern forests
Far removed from streams of gas-thirsty cars and pollution-belching factories lies another key player in global climate change. Circling the northern hemisphere, the conifer-dominated boreal forests - one of the largest ecosystems on earth - act as a vast natural regulator of atmospheric carbon levels.
Researchers examine world’s potential to produce biodiesel
What do the countries of Thailand, Uruguay and Ghana have in common? They all could become leading producers of the emerging renewable fuel known as biodiesel, says a study from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.