Category Science & Technology
Curiosities: How do public health officials determine which strain of influenza to create vaccines for each year?
This year’s influenza vaccine in the United States contains three strains of the influenza virus. Last March, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease…
Research on human embryonic stem cells marks 10-year milestone
Ten years ago today (Nov. 6, 1998), the publication in the journal Science of a short paper entitled "Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Blastocysts" rocked biology - and the world - as the all-purpose stem cell and its possibilities were ushered into the limelight.
Study: Flies may help humans make up for lost sleep
Fruit flies have been used in many kinds of medical research for years, but the joint lab of School of Medicine and Public Health psychiatrists Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi was one of the first in the world to use them as a model for human sleep.
School for aspiring vegetable growers set for January on campus
Aspiring fresh market vegetable growers can learn the fundamentals of the business from veteran growers and other experts at the 2009 Wisconsin School for Beginning Market Growers, Jan. 16-18, at UW–Madison.
Conference to celebrate a decade of stem cell research
The Wisconsin Academy, along with UW–Madison and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), will host a free, two-day event to highlight the accomplishments of stem cell research in the state and to examine future stem cell issues.
Stretching silicon: A new method to measure how strain affects semiconductors
UW-Madison engineers and physicists have developed a method of measuring how strain affects thin films of silicon that could lay the foundation for faster flexible electronics.
Curiosities: Why do people like to scare themselves by watching horror movies or going on thrill rides?
First of all, it’s important to remember that many people don’t enjoy these experiences, said Jack Nitschke, a UW–Madison professor of psychiatry and psychology.
Sea urchin yields a key secret of biomineralization
The teeth and bones of mammals, the protective shells of mollusks, and the needle-sharp spines of sea urchins and other marine creatures are made-from-scratch wonders of nature.
Scientist makes satellite images accessible to all
From locating water sources in Ethiopia to parsing complex processes in the atmosphere over Bulgaria, satellite instruments provide information useful to anyone anywhere. UW–Madison atmospheric scientist Paolo Antonelli has made it his mission to help anyone access and use satellite observations of anywhere in the world.
Curiosities: Why do apple slices turn brown?
The moment a knife slices through apple—spilling the contents of apple cells along the surface of the cut, and allowing everything to mix—a reaction begins.
History of Wisconsin’s wolf policy filled with compromise, meddling
To some, last month's federal decision that put the gray wolf back on the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region was an unmitigated triumph. Siding with the Humane Society of the United States and other groups, the court ruling placed the wolf once again under federal protection after it was removed from the list last March.
Evolution’s hand detailed in Hawaiian lobeliads
A team led by UW–Madison botanists Thomas Givnish and Kenneth Sytsma details the evolutionary history of a diverse tropical group of flowering plants long viewed as one of the plant world's most dramatic examples of adaptive radiation, the phenomenon of new species arising from a single ancestor to occupy a multitude of ecological roles.
Reservoirs promote spread of aquatic invasive species
The latest "damming" evidence suggests that manmade reservoirs are facilitating the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin lakes.
Courses help growing railroad industry stay on track
there are few undergraduate or graduate programs in the United States that teach engineers to design, build and maintain railroads that are safe, efficient and consumer-oriented. However, UW–Madison offers a comprehensive continuing education program.