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Category Science & Technology

Team seeks to add advanced microlenses to technology

April 25, 2007

Most of us peer through lenses every day, but the “microlenses” devised by engineering professors Hongrui Jiang and Dave Beebe aren’t nearly so ordinary. Made of liquid and designed to be self-adjusting, these tiny lenses are a breed apart from their counterparts in eyeglasses and cameras.

U.S. chemistry forecast: ‘Partly cloudy, chance of showers’

April 25, 2007

A report released this month by the National Academy of Sciences concludes that although the United States currently leads the world in most aspects of chemistry research, increasing international competition makes that position far from secure.

Curiosities: Can dogs be trained not to bark?

April 25, 2007

"Yes, absolutely," said canine authority and UW–Madison adjunct associate professor of zoology Patricia McConnell. When confronting the natural tendency of our…

Lake districts serve as prisms of environmental change

April 24, 2007

Two vastly different Wisconsin lake districts - one in a dynamic agricultural and urban setting, the other in a forested and much less developed region of the state - are proving their value as sentinels of regional environmental change, according to a new report.

Gardeners invited to Family Horticulture Day

April 19, 2007

Tired of the same old backyard bounty? Maybe it's time to plant some red, pink or blue popcorn, or white, purple or black carrots.

U.S. News & World Report’s Shute to be writer in residence

April 18, 2007

Nancy Shute, a veteran science and medical reporter for U.S. News & World Report, has been named the spring Science Writer in Residence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Chemistry professor receives National Science Board Public Service Award

April 17, 2007

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, a University of Wisconsin–Madison chemistry professor who pioneered new ways to encourage public understanding of science through his enthusiastic communications and visually exciting chemical demonstrations, will receive the 2007 National Science Board Public Service Award.

Curiosities: What are clouds made of?

April 14, 2007

Question submitted by Jimmy Andruss, 7th Grade, Sennett Middle School.

Gene that governs toxin production in deadly mold found

April 13, 2007

For the growing number of people with diminished immune systems - cancer patients, transplant recipients, those with HIV/AIDS - infection by a ubiquitous mold known as Aspergillus fumigatus can be a death sentence.

Fishing for new anti-inflammatory, cancer drugs

April 10, 2007

Though cell movement and migration in the body play a central role in mediating injury and disease, including inflammatory responses and cancer metastasis, drugs designed to stifle cells’ nomadic tendencies are scarce. A new interdisciplinary research project funded by the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery seed grant program seeks to develop a novel drug-discovery process that may start to fill this gap.

Researchers seek early detection for hard-to-diagnose disease

April 10, 2007

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by infertility due to anovulation, abnormal secretion of androgens and other hormones, and insulin resistance. PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder, affecting 4-7 percent of women in their reproductive years — the syndrome accounts for 75 percent of all anovulations. PCOS has staggering adverse physiological, psychological and financial consequences for women’s reproductive health.

Second annual stem cell symposium to focus on heart tissue, blood diseases

April 9, 2007

Several of the world's leading experts on the formation of blood and heart cells from stem cells, and clinical applications of stem cells in blood and heart diseases, will come together on Wednesday, April 18, for the second annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium.

Sixth annual bioethics forum to tackle medical applications of research

April 9, 2007

The interface among molecular biology, medical applications, law, religion and ethics will be the focus of the sixth annual international Bioethics Forum, hosted by Promega Corp.'s BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI) in Fitchburg.

Unique models help teach nanoscience to the blind

March 27, 2007

At the root of scientific study are observations made with the eyes; yet in nanoscience, our eyes fail us. The smallest object we can see still looms thousands of times larger than a typical nano-sized structure. Even the most powerful microscopes can't peer into the nanoscale directly.