Category Science & Technology

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Video tool could help active workers avoid injury

February 11, 2013

Using just video of workers performing tasks such as assembling a manufactured part or packing boxes, a system developed by University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers might soon be able to automatically assess the likelihood that workers will develop common repetitive-motion injuries.

Technique moves practical Alzheimer diagnosis one step closer to reality

February 11, 2013

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health are moving closer to a significant milepost in the battle against Alzheimer's disease: identifying the first signs of decline in the brain.

Fishing rod holder for boat, land or ice is champion of 2013 innovation competition

February 8, 2013

A self-adjusting, boat-mounted holder for fishing rods has won the top prize and $10,000 in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, one of a pair of University of Wisconsin–Madison innovation competitions. Held Feb. 7 and 8, the Innovation Days competitions reward UW–Madison undergraduates for creative and marketable ideas.

UW-Madison response to Board of Regents PETA protest

February 7, 2013

Following today's protest by actor James Cromwell at the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Eric Sandgren, director of the UW–Madison Research Animal Resource Center released the following statement.

Darwin Day celebrates evolutionary diversity of sex and reproduction

February 7, 2013

The annual celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will showcase the evolutionary expressions of sex and reproduction in the natural world.

Warming ‘seesaw’ turns extra sunlight into global greenhouse

February 6, 2013

Earth's most recent shift to a warm climate began with intense summer sun in the Northern Hemisphere, the first pressure on a seesaw that tossed powerful forces between the planet's poles until greenhouse gases accelerated temperature change on a global scale.

Finding challenges accepted view of MS: Unexpectedly, damaged nerve fibers survive

February 5, 2013

Multiple sclerosis, a brain disease that affects over 400,000 Americans, causes movement difficulties and many neurologic symptoms. MS has two key elements: The nerves that direct muscular movement lose their electrical insulation (the myelin sheath) and cannot transmit signals as effectively. And many of the long nerve fibers, called axons, degenerate.

Weston Roundtable adds distinguished speakers on sustainable water, energy

February 5, 2013

A pair of leading figures in the field of sustainability - Jerry Schnoor of the University of Iowa and Dave Allen of the University of Texas at Austin - will speak at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this semester in two Weston Distinguished Lectures.

High-level commission discusses future of graduate education in the chemical sciences

February 5, 2013

Members of an American Chemical Society commission will discuss the need for radical changes to graduate education in the chemical sciences at a colloquium in Madison Feb. 7.

Response and recovery in the brain may predict well-being

February 4, 2013

It has long been known that the part of the brain called the amygdala is responsible for recognition of a threat and knowing whether to fight or flee from the danger.

Innovation Days showcases undergrad entrepreneurship

February 4, 2013

Displaying more than a dozen inventions that could prove useful for individuals, workplaces or even entire manufacturing processes, University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduate students will square off in a matchup of creativity, resourcefulness and craftsmanship during the annual UW–Madison Innovation Days competitions, held Feb. 7 and 8 on the UW–Madison engineering campus.

UW–Madison engineer is expert for NOVA chariot documentary

February 1, 2013

An epic drama set in ancient Rome, "Ben-Hur" captivated filmgoers in 1959 with its majestic cinematography, powerful musical score, and thrilling, bloody nine-minute chariot race, which has become one of cinema's most widely known sequences.

UW–Madison physicist wins science image challenge

January 31, 2013

Close your eyes and picture an ocean reef: vivid violet, cool blue and tropical green intertwining in gentle curves and delicate edges. And that's just the urchin teeth.