Category Science & Technology
Lake districts serve as prisms of environmental change
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
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
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
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?
Question submitted by Jimmy Andruss, 7th Grade, Sennett Middle School.
Gene that governs toxin production in deadly mold found
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Ultrathin films deliver DNA as possible gene therapy tool
Gene therapy - the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease - has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time.
UW-Madison approves new research institute
The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently approved a new research entity, the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR).