Category Science & Technology
Scientists ferret out a key pathway for aging
A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and their colleagues describe a molecular pathway that is a key determinant of the aging process.
Curiosities: Why is Pluto not considered a planet?
Until 2006, astronomers had not carefully defined “planet,” says James Lattis, director of the UW Space Place. Asteroids were not considered planets because…
Embryonic stem cell culturing grows from art to science
Growing human embryonic stem cells in the lab is no small feat. Culturing the finicky, shape-shifting cells is labor intensive and, in some ways, more art than exact science.
Curiosities: How do frogs, toads and other amphibians survive the Wisconsin winter?
Amphibians are at great risk during the winter but employ several strategies for getting through, says Scott Craven, professor of forest and wildlife…
Long-term lake study suggests ecological mechanism may control destructive crayfish
Just a few years ago, scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's research station in Boulder Junction, Wis., were growing sick of a crustacean delicacy - the rusty crayfish. Roughly 90,000 of the animals had been caught during an intensive trapping program at the nearby Sparkling Lake.
Online map allows visitors, naturalists to share Arboretum experience
If the UW Arboretum were just a pretty place to take a walk, its new Interactive Map wouldn't need much more than crisscrossing trails, grey blobs for parking lots and symbols marking the restrooms.
Expanding croplands chipping away at world’s carbon stocks
Nature's capacity to store carbon, the element at the heart of global climate woes, is steadily eroding as the world's farmers expand croplands at the expense of native ecosystem such as forests.
Curiosities: Why do stars appear to twinkle in the night sky?
Courtesy European Space Agency (ESA/Hubble). Stars twinkle because we view them through our atmosphere, says James Lattis, director of University of Wisconsin–Madison…
Study: Mountain vegetation impacted by climate change
Climate change has had a significant effect on mountain vegetation at low elevations in the past 60 years, according to a study done by the University of California at Davis, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and U.S. Geological Survey.
Common anxiety disorders make it tougher to quit cigarettes
Researchers may have pinpointed a reason many smokers struggle to quit.