Category Science & Technology

Decade of effort yields diabetes susceptibility gene

October 6, 2011

Ten years of meticulous mouse breeding, screening and record-keeping have finally paid off for Alan Attie and his lab members.

Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration

October 6, 2011

The same effect that ignites your gas grill with the push of a button could one day power sensors in your body via the respiration in your nose.

Clocking the mosh pit of interstellar space

October 5, 2011

The space between the stars in the Milky Way and all other galaxies is full of dust and gas, the raw materials from which stars and planets are made.

Stuff ‘n’ food: Can collectible toys overcome fascination with fast food?

September 28, 2011

Every parent seems to know what McDonald's knows: Food and toys outsell food alone. But could toys be used to promote the sale of healthy food as well as calorie-rich fast food?

Jumping gene enabled key step in corn domestication

September 25, 2011

In seeking to better understand how teosinte gave rise to corn, a scientific team has pinpointed one of the key genetic changes that paved the way for corn's domestication.

Study: Advantages of single-sex schooling a myth

September 22, 2011

As Madison deals with a proposal to establish a single-sex charter school, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of psychology is one author of an article that calls the scientific case for single-sex schools "pseudoscience."

UW–Madison botanist plucks new flower from Isle Royale

September 22, 2011

One of the world's newest sunflower species, discovered by a University of Wisconsin–Madison botanist, has carved out a very small but safe niche on an island in Lake Superior.

Wisconsin engineer, entrepreneur move ‘green’ diesel engine closer to market

September 19, 2011

A University of Wisconsin–Madison engineer is collaborating with a Wisconsin entrepreneur to produce a diesel engine that could be a quieter, more efficient power source for a variety of household and industrial applications, including lawn equipment and electric generators.

Mouse genome sequences reveal variability, complex evolutionary history

September 15, 2011

The genome of even a single organism is packed with information. A new paper, building on recent advances in sequencing capability, now reports the complete genomes of 17 different strains of mice, creating an unparalleled genetic resource that will aid studies ranging from human disease to evolution.

Interim chancellor’s memo to lawmakers regarding proposed fetal tissue ban

September 14, 2011

Here is the text of a memo sent by UW–Madison Interim Chancellor David Ward to all members of the state Legislature regarding a bill that would ban the acquisition and use of fetal tissue in scientific research.

Study reveals critical similarity between two types of do-it-all stem cells

September 11, 2011

Ever since human induced pluripotent stem cells were first derived in 2007, scientists have wondered whether they were functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells, which are sourced in early stage embryos.

In cell culture, like real estate, the neighborhood matters

August 28, 2011

Ever since scientists first began growing human cells in lab dishes in 1952, they have focused on improving the chemical soup that feeds the cells and helps regulate their growth. But surfaces also matter, says Laura Kiessling, a professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who observes that living cells are normally in contact with each other and with a structure called the extracellular matrix, not just with the dissolved chemicals in their surroundings.

Organic Field Day set Aug. 30

August 22, 2011

University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers will host an Organic Field Day on Tuesday, August 30 from 1–3:30p.m. at the UW Arlington Agricultural Research Station.

Climate change could drive native fish out of Wisconsin waters

August 16, 2011

The cisco, a key forage fish found in Wisconsin's deepest and coldest bodies of water, could become a climate change casualty and disappear from most of the Wisconsin lakes it now inhabits by the year 2100, according to a new study.

Surgeon to be next UW–Madison vet research dean

August 15, 2011

Longtime professor Dale Bjorling has been named associate dean for research and graduate training at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.

New neutrino detection experiment in China up and running

August 15, 2011

Deep under a hillside near Hong Kong, a pair of new antineutrino detectors are warming up for some serious physics.

Is hunting wolves key to their conservation?

August 5, 2011

Hunters have been credited with being strong conservation advocates for numerous game species in multiple countries. Would initiating a wolf hunt invoke the same advocacy for the carnivores?

Digitization project promises lichens and mosses at our fingertips

August 2, 2011

Lichens and mosses are well-known barometers of the environment. But soon lichens and mosses could assume a new and much broader importance as harbingers of environmental change, thanks to an effort to digitize the lichen and moss collections of U.S. herbaria.

Award allows UW biochemist to investigate mitochondria mystery

August 1, 2011

Every student of basic biology learns that mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell - little factories turning oxygen and food into energy.

UW study finds that larger dairy farms tend to have better milk quality

August 1, 2011

Wisconsin's larger dairy operations tended to fare better than the state's small farms in a University of Wisconsin–Madison study of milk quality, although all of the state's farms - both large and small - produced milk that easily met federal food safety guidelines.