Category Science & Technology
Why cities around Wisconsin are feeling the heat
While Wisconsin may be known for its “frozen tundra,” an increase in hot, humid summer days is bringing attention to Wisconsin’s urban heat islands and their impact on human health.
Scientists gain better understanding of icy plumes associated with violent tornadoes
High-resolution supercomputer simulations developed at UW–Madison are giving scientists a closer look at an atmospheric phenomenon that may be associated with above anvil cirrus plumes.
Nearby forest loss predicts future deforestation on protected lands
The research could help national governments and other agencies direct limited resources toward those areas at greatest risk of deforestation, which threatens biodiversity and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Taming ‘tubes: For computer chips, new technique puts carbon nanotubes squarely in their place
When used as transistors, the nanotubes could be five times as energy efficient and five times faster than silicon.
Study shows how aspen forests maintain the diversity needed to adapt to changing environments
The findings are valuable for conservation biologists who want to preserve diverse forest ecosystems in the face of global warming, invasive species and other environmental changes.
UW snake specimens show deadly fungus has been around for decades
A researcher examined more than 500 snakes in jars, preserved specimens at UW–Madison’s Zoological Museum and elsewhere, looking for telltale lesions on the snakes’ skin.
A curtain call for impresario, tireless advocate for science literacy — Shakhashiri retires
Bassam Shakhashiri, the kinetic and tireless science educator and 81-year-old University of Wisconsin–Madison chemistry professor who for more than 50 years charmed and amazed audiences with the wonders of science, has retired.
Professional couples are on the rise, but it’s not increasing income inequality
But the changing availability of spouses with particular jobs — especially a large increase in professional women — has dramatically changed common household couplings.
Apply for the Annual Fall Research Competition, providing support across divisions
The yearly contest from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education funds select research projects in biological sciences, physical sciences, social sciences and the arts and humanities.
New carnivorous plant must balance trapping prey and being pollinated
In the summer, Triantha occidentalis shoots up tall flowering stems coated with sticky hairs that trap small insects like gnats and midges.
Daddy longlegs got their long legs by reusing some old evolutionary tools
The first genome of a daddy longlegs is giving up clues to the evolution of the gangly appendages that give members of the order Opiliones their common name.
Study shows virus abundant in COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, even among fully vaccinated
Vaccination remains critical, researchers David O’Connor and Thomas Friedrich say, since the available vaccines are effective, successful, and help prevent new, dangerous cases.
UW researchers join three national artificial intelligence institutes
The institutes, funded by a new federal program to broaden access to AI to solve complex societal problems, will promote sustainable food systems and advanced wireless networks.
Study identifies how lung cells sense chitin, an allergen in fungi and shellfish
The discovery solves one piece of the puzzle of the immune response to this common allergen — "something that the scientific community has been chasing for a long time."
Research aims to give everyone a fair shot at accessing COVID-19 vaccines
A UW team's work will inform government and community groups’ efforts to address vaccine access and hesitancy, with the ultimate goal of increasing immunization rates.
Combining low-dose radiotherapy with immunotherapy eradicates metastatic cancer in mice
UW–Madison and University of Pittsburgh scientists report the method works even when the radiation is given in doses too low to destroy the cancer outright.
Educators publish free workbook to help instructors teach climate change science
The online workbook integrates existing science curriculum subjects — such as heat, light, energy, and acids and bases — into a discussion of the properties and effects of greenhouse gases.
Badger Talks: The delta variant
“Luckily, our vaccines ... have been shown to be effective even against this delta variant, so we continue to have protection when we are getting vaccinated,” Devlin Cole says. “But we do now have even more increased risk of getting very, very sick if we’re not vaccinated.”
COVID-19 vaccine boosters: ‘Too soon to know’ if they’re needed
For now, the priority needs to be continuing to provide vaccines to the unvaccinated, says the director of the UW Health Immunization Program.
Nuclear engineering research and education pioneer Max Carbon dies at 99
As founding chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Carbon authored "Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim? Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity."