Category Science & Technology

Climate expert: Record loss of arctic ice could impact Wisconsin

September 21, 2012

Ice covering the Arctic Ocean melted to the smallest areal extent ever recorded this year, falling to 1.3 million square miles at its lowest point on Sept. 16, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. That's less than half of the normal area covered by ice at summer's end.

Second Higgs lecture scheduled to accommodate demand

September 20, 2012

Due to overwhelming interest, a second lecture on the discovery of a new physics particle has been added for tomorrow evening, Friday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m.

Campus car fleet evolves with changing needs, technology

September 20, 2012

In an age of increasing awareness of sustainability and a “greening” campus, the university’s vehicle fleet has also been changing with the times.

UW team studies the mechanics of stronger bones

September 19, 2012

As human bones age, they undergo geometric changes and also lose minerals such as calcium that give them density and strength.

Surprising demographic shifts in endangered monkey population challenge conservation expectations

September 18, 2012

At first glance, the northern muriqui monkey is a prime conservation success story.

Wisconsin Science Festival brings wonders of science to life for all ages

September 17, 2012

After a rousing debut last fall, the Wisconsin Science Festival returns for its second year this Sept. 27-30 with an even bigger and bolder schedule of people, music, art and explosions bringing the wonders of science to life for all ages.

Cervical cancer and pre-cancer cervical growths require single HPV protein

September 14, 2012

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been implicated in cervical cancer, but details of how it happens have remained a mystery. Now researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that a single HPV protein is required for cervical cancer and even pre-cancer growths in the cervix to survive.

UW-Madison Dance brings science to the stage with “PULSE” 

September 14, 2012

During this Year of Innovation at UW–Madison, the Dance Department brings science to the stage with "PULSE: Intersections of Dance and Science," a Wisconsin Science Festival event, Friday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. in the Margaret H'Doubler Performance Space of Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Ave.

Stress breaks loops that hold short-term memory together

September 13, 2012

Stress has long been pegged as the enemy of attention, disrupting focus and doing substantial damage to working memory - the short-term juggling of information that allows us to do all the little things that make us productive.

Prominent UW physicist describes Higgs search and discovery

September 13, 2012

On July 4, 2012, the international science community exploded with excitement as physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced the discovery of a brand-new subatomic particle widely believed to be the long-sought Higgs boson.

UW-Madison celebrates imagination, discovery in the Year of Innovation

September 13, 2012

From dairy science to dance to vitamin D to stem cells, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has pushed the boundaries of what is known and the limits of what is possible for more than 160 years.

Statement regarding sound localization research at UW–Madison

September 12, 2012

Allegations made today (Wednesday, Sept. 12) by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals about sound localization studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are unsubstantiated. At best, they are a gross misrepresentation of the research and the care and treatment provided to the animals in the study.

Network of neurons: a dynamic model of brain activity

September 12, 2012

Professor Barry Van Veen has applied signal analysis techniques to develop methods for identifying network models of brain function - essentially, traffic patterns of neural activity present in the human brain.

Universe in the Park takes astronomy to Wisconsin state parks

September 12, 2012

"I want to blow your mind, take you places you have never seen before. Do not hesitate to ask question. I will not bite."

Go Big Read marries art and science with “Radioactive”

September 11, 2012

Lauren Redniss was first drawn to Marie and Pierre Curie because of their beautiful love story. But the Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator found much more as she researched, wrote and illustrated her book “Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout,” this year’s selection for Go Big Read, UW–Madison's common reading program.

Collide and conquer: How blood cells sort themselves out

September 10, 2012

In human blood, red blood cells barrel through the center of the blood vessels, while in a phenomenon known as margination, platelets and white blood cells hug the vessel walls, ready to emerge into the body to fight an injury or infection.

Play to examine woman’s life in the male world of MIT math

September 5, 2012

Trust a good play to raise issues and spark debate.

Research on hive microbes may lead to better understanding of honeybee disease

September 4, 2012

If you spot a honeybee in the UW–Madison's Allen Centennial Gardens and are wondering where it came from, look up.

Reduced brain connections seen in people with generalized anxiety disorder

September 3, 2012

A new University of Wisconsin–Madison imaging study shows the brains of people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have weaker connections between a brain structure that controls emotional response and the amygdala, which suggests the brain's "panic button" may stay on due to lack of regulation.

UW scientists probe, attack late blight in potatoes

August 31, 2012

As the annual potato harvest begins, Wisconsin farmers continue to check their fields for late blight, the ferocious plant disease that caused the 1848 Irish potato famine and fueled massive emigration from Ireland.