Tag Research
Harnessing microbes, one by one, to build a better nanoworld
Taking a new approach to the painstaking assembly of nanometer-sized machines, a team of scientists at UW–Madison has successfully used single bacterial cells to make tiny bio-electronic circuits. Read More
Study: Marmoset dads don’t stray
A squirrel-sized primate with white hair dancing out of its ears, the common marmoset finally may dispel tired stereotypes about promiscuous fathers in the animal kingdom. Read More
To control germs, scientists deploy tiny agents provocateurs
Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs." Read More
Project builds in weather data to predict road safety
David Noyce hopes to help drivers predict the future - by warning them of weather-related driving conditions ahead. Read More
Study: Post-9/11 news drove liberals toward a harder line
Liberals who gleaned most of their news from television in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks increased their support for expanded police powers, bringing them closer in line with the opinions of conservatives, a study by a UW–Madison researcher shows. Read More
Small molecule may help pinpoint some cancers
Writing in the March 8 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, groups led by Medical School Professor James Dahlberg and his collaborator Wayne Tam, at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, report that elevated cellular levels of a particular microRNA, known as miR-155, may be diagnostic of some human cancers, notably lymphomas. Read More
Book Smart
The Complete Idiots’ Guide to Simple Home Improvement (Penguin-Putnam, 2005) David Tenenbaum, staff writer, The Why Files science education Web… Read More
Study finds two brain systems regulate how people call for help
The willingness to call out in distress to get help from others appears to be regulated by two brain systems with very different responsibilities, according to a study by researchers at UW–Madison. Read More
No-stick cholesterol test offered
Findings by researchers at the Medical School support the validity of a new, non-invasive skin cholesterol test to help identify patients at increased risk for heart disease. Read More
Study: Eye contact triggers threat signals in autistic children’s brains
Brain tests at UW–Madison suggest that autistic children shy from eye contact because they perceive even the most familiar face as an uncomfortable threat. The work deepens understanding of an autistic brain's function and may one day inform new treatment approaches and augment how teachers interact with their autistic students. Read More
Fermilab experiment to beam neutrinos through Dairyland
In an effort to pin down the elusive nature and qualities of one of nature's most intriguing subatomic particles - the neutrino - scientists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, or Fermilab, in Illinois will soon send a beam of the ghostlike particles coursing through subterranean Wisconsin to a detector deep in a mine in northern Minnesota. Read More
Book Smart
"Parameter Estimation and Inverse Problems," Cliff Thurber, professor of geology and geophysics (Elsevier/Academic Press, 2005) Read More
Climate change to bring a wave of new health risks
Climate change will not only bring about a warmer world, it is also very likely to set the stage for an unhealthier one. Read More
The stuff of dreams
How does one visualize thought? Well, by pressing the open tip of an electrolyte-filled glass pipette much thinner than a human hair against the membrane of an individual brain cell, researchers can isolate a patch and identify the current flowing through individual ion channels on a cell's membrane. Read More
Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells
Tackling a pressing and controversial technical barrier in stem cell biology, scientists at the WiCell Research Institute and UW–Madison have crafted a recipe that allows researchers to grow human embryonic stem cells in the absence of mouse-derived "feeder" cells, long thought to be a source of potential contamination for the therapeutically promising cells. Read More
First critical parts of giant neutrino telescope in place
Working under harsh Antarctic conditions, an international team of scientists, engineers and technicians has set in place the first critical elements of a massive neutrino telescope at the South Pole. Read More
Book Smart
"Parameter Estimation and Inverse Problems," Cliff Thurber, professor of geology and geophysics (Elsevier/Academic Press, 2005) Read More
Team receives $1.25 million grant for stem cell research
A multidisciplinary team led by James Thomson has received a $1.25 million grant for stem cell research from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles. Read More
Scientists find portal to how animals evolve
New work by the Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute adds to the accumulating understanding of how evolution works at the most fundamental level. Read More
Scientists grow critical nerve cells
After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Read More