Category Science & Technology
Gene sequencing advance bolsters biofuels potential
A collaborative research project between the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has advanced the quest for efficient conversion of plant biomass to fuels and chemicals.
CALS to celebrate National Landmark Status of old dairy barn
The public is invited to a program on March 28, 2007 at 7:15 p.m. to celebrate the designation of the UW–Madison’s 109-year-old dairy barn as a National Historic Landmark.
UW-Madison engineer to head DOE fusion energy office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has named a University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering professor to lead its Office of Fusion Energy Science, located within the DOE Office of Science.
Geography professor honored with lifetime achievement award
Longtime University of Wisconsin–Madison geographer Waltraud Brinkmann has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Climate Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.
Nanoscale packaging could aid delivery of cancer-fighting drugs
A University of Wisconsin–Madison pharmacy professor aims to improve the delivery of cancer-fighting drugs by targeting them more selectively to tumors and boosting their solubility in water.
Hidden gems: New composites are stiffer than diamond
Using a unique combination of barium titanate and tin, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have made the first known material that's stiffer than diamond.
Researcher seeks ‘missing piece’ in climate change models
To most people, soil is just dirt. But to microbiologists, it is a veritable zoo of bacteria, fungi and nematodes. It's also a vast carbon dioxide factory. As these microorganisms consume carbon-based materials found in soil, they release carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere as a normal part of their metabolism.
IceCube telescope construction exceeds season goals
As the austral summer wanes, so does the highly successful 2006-07 work season at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, which draws to a close Thursday, Feb. 15.
Nanotechnology meets biology and DNA finds its groove
UW-Madison scientists have developed a quick, inexpensive and efficient method to extract single DNA molecules and position them in nanoscale troughs or "slits," where they can be easily analyzed and sequenced. The technique, which according to its developers is simple and scalable, could lead to faster and vastly more efficient sequencing technology in the lab, and may one day help underpin the ability of clinicians to obtain customized DNA profiles of patients.
Study profiles rate of autism in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin autism surveillance project reported today (Feb. 8) that approximately five out of every 1,000 Wisconsin children born in 1994 display symptoms indicative of autism.