Category Science & Technology

Engineering students win 2013 Clean Snowmobile Challenge

March 12, 2013

A group of UW–Madison College of Engineering students took first place in the internal combustion division of the SAE 2013 Clean Snowmobile Challenge, their fifth time doing so in the 14-year history of the competition. Read More

Dalai Lama to lead ‘Change your Mind Change the World 2013’ event May 15

March 12, 2013

Event organizers today announced that the Dalai Lama will visit Madison on May 15, 2013, to lead "Change your Mind Change the World 2013," a series of panel discussions with thought leaders from a variety of fields, including neuroscience, economics and sustainability, moderated by Arianna Huffington and Daniel Goleman. Read More

Adaptive ski project gives people with disabilities a new chance to participate

March 8, 2013

Back in 2005, "sit-skis" for cross-country skiers with disabilities were expensive, uncomfortable and largely unavailable - except to a handful of Paralympic athletes, at price tags of more than $2,000. Today, more than 300 sitting-position skis, with an adaptable, user-friendly design, enable a much wider group of people with lower-body limitations to participate in the popular winter sport, at a cost of only about $250 per ski. Read More

Small differences in how a technology is defined can make a big difference in how the public feels about it

March 8, 2013

Even small tweaks in how scientists describe scientific breakthroughs can significantly change how the public perceives their work, a new study indicates. Read More

‘Ninja parasites’ elude immune response through molecular mimicry

March 7, 2013

In feudal-age Japan, cunning, unorthodox mercenaries known as ninjas were notorious for using disguise, deception, and stealth to infiltrate enemy fortifications. In the world of modern parasites, certain organisms - dubbed "ninja parasites" by Professor Timothy Yoshino - use similar tactics, in a biological and chemical sense, to trick their way past the immune systems of their hosts. Read More

Speakeasy Science: Space Place tees up science for grown-ups

March 5, 2013

Line up your baby sitter for the evening of Friday, March 8, and lift off for a night of fun and science at UW–Madison’s Space Place for the first edition of Speakeasy Science. Read More

Man-made material pushes the bounds of superconductivity

March 3, 2013

A multi-university team of researchers has artificially engineered a unique multilayer material that could lead to breakthroughs in both superconductivity research and in real-world applications. Read More

Flu transmission studies could resume soon

February 26, 2013

After a voluntary hiatus of more than a year, avian influenza transmission studies may soon resume at UW–Madison’s Influenza Research Institute (IRI) as the National Institutes of Heath (NIH) last week issued a new framework for vetting such experiments. Read More

Analytical trick may accelerate cancer diagnosis

February 24, 2013

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found a new way to accelerate a workhorse instrument that identifies proteins. The high-speed technique could help diagnose cancer sooner and point to new drugs for treating a wide range of conditions. Read More

Science + art exhibit focuses on the beauty of a cure

February 20, 2013

An unusual exhibit focusing on cancer recovery through the lens of art and science will open Feb. 22 in the Biochemistry Department on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Read More

Secrets of Wisconsin meteorite revealed

February 19, 2013

As Russian scientists scramble to collect and analyze the remains of the historic meteorite that injured an estimated 1,200 people in Chelyabinsk on Feb. 15, scientists in Wisconsin are set to publish their analysis of a smaller meteorite that struck southwest Wisconsin on April 14, 2010. Read More

Production process doubles speed and efficiency of flexible electronics

February 18, 2013

Stretched-out clothing might not be a great practice for laundry day, but in the case of microprocessor manufacture, stretching out the atomic structure of the silicon in the critical components of a device can be a good way to increase a processor's performance. Read More

Donohue elected president of American Society for Microbiology

February 15, 2013

University of Wisconsin–Madison bacteriology professor Timothy J. Donohue has been elected president of the American Society for Microbiology. Read More

Trolls win: Rude comments dim the allure of science online

February 14, 2013

The trolls are winning. Pick a story about some aspect of science, any story, scroll down to the blog comments and let the bashing begin: Read More

Value of modified corn is more in reducing losses than boosting yields

February 14, 2013

While there's no end of robust and heated conversation about genetically modified foods, there are strikingly few comprehensive studies that put a numeric value on the costs and benefits. Read More

Physics Fair at UW–Madison this Saturday

February 14, 2013

The sixth annual UW–Madison Physics Fair will offer physical delights and pain-free education free to all comers on Saturday, Feb. 16 on the UW–Madison campus. Read More

UW Hospital hits major milestone with 2,000th liver transplant

February 13, 2013

Scott A. Vanderloop of Appleton, Wis. received a second chance at life recently after becoming the 2,000th patient to receive a liver transplant at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. Read More

UW’s veterinary medical school adopts wildlife health project

February 13, 2013

Outbreaks of disease in wildlife may seem remote and, for most humans, inconsequential. But disease events that arise in wild animal populations can be far-reaching and can even pose a threat to humans and domestic animals far removed from the source of animal affliction. Read More

Research quest aims to cure hearing loss at its root

February 12, 2013

The ultimate cause of hearing loss is usually found in the tiny hair cells that play the crucial role of converting sound waves into nerve impulses for delivery to the brain. Read More

UW-Madison engineer named to National Academy of Engineering

February 12, 2013

David Gustafson, a University of Wisconsin–Madison industrial and systems engineer, was named Feb. 7 to the 2013 class of new members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Read More