Tag Research
Study looks at benefits of two cochlear implants in deaf children
Nature has outfitted us with a pair of ears for good reason: having two ears enhances hearing. University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists are now examining whether this is also true for the growing numbers of deaf children who've received not one, but two, cochlear implants to help them hear. Read More
Researcher seeks ‘missing piece’ in climate change models
To most people, soil is just dirt. But to microbiologists, it is a veritable zoo of bacteria, fungi and nematodes. It's also a vast carbon dioxide factory. As these microorganisms consume carbon-based materials found in soil, they release carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere as a normal part of their metabolism. Read More
Fragile X protein may play role in Alzheimer’s disease
A brain afflicted by severe Alzheimer's disease is a sad sight, a wreck of tangled neural connections and organic rubble as the lingering evidence of a fierce internal battle. A new study has now uncovered an unexpected link between this devastating neural degeneration and a protein whose absence causes a different neurological disease - the inherited mental retardation disorder called fragile X syndrome. Read More
Nanoscale packaging could aid delivery of cancer-fighting compounds
Nature has produced a well-stocked arsenal of potent cancer-fighting compounds, including Taxol, first isolated from the Pacific yew tree, and rapamycin, borrowed from a soil-dwelling bacterium. Read More
IceCube telescope construction exceeds season goals
As the austral summer wanes, so does the highly successful 2006-07 work season at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, which draws to a close Thursday, Feb. 15. Read More
Online tool accesses Wisconsin winter driving conditions, airport delays
PDA users can quickly assess conditions on major roads in Wisconsin during a blizzard using the University of Wisconsin–Madison's PDA Animated Weather, or PAW - a PDA-friendly online weather service developed at the UW–Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center. Read More
Nanotechnology meets biology and DNA finds its groove
UW-Madison scientists have developed a quick, inexpensive and efficient method to extract single DNA molecules and position them in nanoscale troughs or "slits," where they can be easily analyzed and sequenced. The technique, which according to its developers is simple and scalable, could lead to faster and vastly more efficient sequencing technology in the lab, and may one day help underpin the ability of clinicians to obtain customized DNA profiles of patients. Read More
Study profiles rate of autism in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin autism surveillance project reported today (Feb. 8) that approximately five out of every 1,000 Wisconsin children born in 1994 display symptoms indicative of autism. Read More
CALS Dean Molly Jahn: Biosciences can transform state economy
Few people have a better firsthand take on the value of university-industry collaboration than Molly Jahn, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's new dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Read More
Satellite leftovers to fuel weather, climate research
A spool of 1,600 gold threads, each thinner than one uncooked spaghetti noodle, formed the insides of the beer can-sized component in a space-bound refrigerator. The University of Wisconsin–Madison center responsible for this unit recently sold the leftover gold to fund remote-sensing research. Read More
UW real estate center to be named for real estate legend James A. Graaskamp
Almost 600 alumni and friends have generated nearly $11 million in donations for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Real Estate, which will be renamed in honor of the late James A. Graaskamp, a legendary figure in real estate education. Read More
February 1 application deadline
The February 1 application deadline for fall admission has passed. Read More
UW scholars included in ‘canon’ of legal thought
The writings of two faculty members and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School were chosen as being among the 20 most important works of American legal thought since 1890 in a just-published book. Read More
Physicists find way to ‘see’ extra dimensions
Peering backward in time to an instant after the big bang, physicists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised an approach that may help unlock the hidden shapes of alternate dimensions of the universe. Read More
For seriously ill patients, a UW center helps navigate an emotional journey
Since 2001, Meg Gaines and the center Center for Patient Partnerships have given more than 900 patients from all across the state hope through what the center calls “patient advocacy,” or the support of patients in their medical, financial and emotional journey through disease. Read More
Finding may unshackle the potential of composite materials
In an advance that could lead to composite materials with virtually limitless performance capabilities, a University of Wisconsin–Madison scientist has dispelled a 50-year-old theoretical notion that composite materials must be made only of "stable" individual materials to be stable overall. Read More
Study points way to communicating nanotech
If you could paint a gallon of paint one nanometer thick, how much area could you cover? The surprising answer-about 930 acres, or slightly larger than New York's Central Park-certainly makes fun trivia fodder. More importantly, however, it points nanotechnology researchers to strategies that help them more effectively communicate the scale, scope and "wow" of their work to non-technical audiences. Read More
Nutrition researchers provide the skinny on trans fats
This past holiday season, University of Wisconsin–Madison nutritionist Sherry Tanumihardjo made brownies with butter, not margarine. Like a lot of us, she wanted to avoid artificial trans fats. Read More
Enzyme plays dual role in cancer spread
Before cancer cells can migrate, or metastasize, to other parts of the body, they first have to disconnect from their neighbors in the tumor. A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison and Canadian scientists has made a surprising discovery: The same enzyme that controls the ability of cancer cells to move also governs a process that binds them tightly in place. Read More
Silicon medicines may be effective in humans
University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have shown that silicon — the stuff of computer chips, glass and pottery — may have extraordinary therapeutic value for treating human disease. Read More