Tag Research

Dancing bacteria? Engineers explore microbial choreography

December 7, 2005

Birds fly together in flocks. Fish swim together in schools. Everyone has seen the beautiful, seemingly choreographed motions these collections of organisms can exhibit. But surely bacteria, which have no eyes or brain, cannot behave in such a coordinated way. In fact, they do, and researchers are beginning to learn how.

Tracking a case study for avian flu preparedness

December 6, 2005

As public health experts discuss how best to prevent an avian flu epidemic in the United States, La Follette School of Public Affairs assistant professor Donald P. Moynihan says a recent avian disease outreak offers important clues.

Hummingbirds get some energy the easy way: passively

December 6, 2005

When it comes to energy metabolism, hummingbirds are the heavyweight champions of vertebrates. Pound for pound, the thumb-sized birds have higher energy demands than elephants.

Study: Job satisfaction varies between independent and organization-hired doctors

December 6, 2005

Wisconsin family physicians employed by large health care organizations are less happy on the job and more likely to want to leave than those in independent practice, according to a study published in the Dec. 6, 2005 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

New maps reveal the human footprint on Earth

December 5, 2005

As global populations swell, farmers are cultivating more and more land in a desperate bid to keep pace with the ever-intensifying needs of humans. As a result, agricultural activity now dominates more than a third of the Earth's landscape and has emerged as one of the central forces of global environmental change, say scientists at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment.

Scientists seek clear-sky definition of clouds

December 5, 2005

Atmospheric scientists - Earth's professional cloud-gazers - have learned a great deal about clouds over the decades, particularly with the advent of satellites during the 1960s and 70s. But despite years of research and the emergence of increasingly sophisticated tools, scientists are still at odds over one of the most basic issues of all: how to define a cloud.

The cold truth about climate change and snow

December 5, 2005

What would the Earth be like if one fine day all the snow melted away? For one, global temperatures would likely spike by about eight-tenths of a degree Celsius — an increase that represents as much as a third of the warming that climate change experts have predicted.

UW-Madison, WARF rank third in 2004 license income

December 2, 2005

Driven by the discovery of promising new drugs, agricultural products and biotechnologies, UW–Madison and its technology transfer arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, generated more than $47.5 million in licensing revenues last year.

INSITE receives grant for research into entrepreneurship

December 1, 2005

The Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has awarded a three-year, $125,000 collaborative research grant to the Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship (INSITE).

Advances may improve prostate cancer treatment

December 1, 2005

A trio of innovations may enable physicians to plan prostate cancer patients' treatment in real time and to implant cancer-killing radiation "seeds" more accurately and efficiently.

Joe McCarthy and the Press

November 30, 2005

While a Hollywood film revisits the 1950s anti-communist furor spawned by the late Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin journalist's book studying the politician's relationship with the media of his day has also been reintroduced to bookshelves.

Youth log online for civic engagement

November 29, 2005

Use of the Internet as a resource and a forum strongly influences participation in civic affairs, often more than traditional media and even face-to-face communication, according to a study by a UW–Madison journalism professor.

Research initiative enhances Minnesota-Wisconsin partnerships

November 22, 2005

Some of the plays in the stands at Lambeau Field were just as thrilling as those on the turf when Minnesota Vikings ownership partner and New Jersey attorney and businessman David Mandelbaum revealed a plan for a $2.5 million gift to the UW–Madison Eye Research Institute to support a joint research initiative with scientists at the University of Minnesota.

Psychologists glimpse biological imprint of childhood neglect

November 21, 2005

The absence of a loving caregiver in the earliest years of life could sway the normal activity of two hormones - vasopressin and oxytocin - that play an essential role in the ability to form healthy social bonds and emotional intimacy.

Two receive Women’s Philanthropy Council ‘Champion’ awards

November 21, 2005

An assistant dean in the School of Education and the coordinator of new faculty services in the office of the Secretary of the Faculty are the recipients of the inaugural Women's Philanthropy Council (WPC) Champion Awards at UW–Madison.

Scientists map one of biology’s critical light-sensing structures

November 16, 2005

For plants, the ability to accurately sense light governs everything from seed germination, photosynthesis and pigmentation to patterns of growth and flowering. Now, for the first time, scientists at UW–Madison have obtained a detailed map of one of biology's most important light detectors, a protein found in many species across life's plant, fungal, and bacterial kingdoms.

Third World bears brunt of global warming impacts

November 16, 2005

A team of health and climate scientists at UW–Madison and the World Health Organization report in the journal Nature that the growing health impacts of climate change affect different regions in markedly different ways. Ironically, the places that have contributed the least to warming the Earth are the most vulnerable to the death and disease higher temperatures can bring.

Historian takes on a weighty task: Understanding Kissinger

November 15, 2005

UW-Madison historian Jeremi Suri is working on the definitive biography of one of the world's most polarizing figures - tentatively titled "Henry Kissinger and the American Century" - based on nearly a dozen sit-down interviews with the globe-hopping former secretary of state.

Book Smart

November 15, 2005

The Vikings: scourge of the seas, masters of the strategic rampage, fearsome warriors of the frozen North… Actually, this somewhat lopsided view…

Research runs deep at Trout Lake Station

November 15, 2005

More than eight decades ago, two enterprsing biologists from UW–Madison opened a modest research outpost on Trout Lake, deep in the heart of Wisconsin's northern lakeregion. The goal was to peer into the fundamental mysteries of freshwater lakes, from their basic chmistry to their elaborate life cycle.