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Category Science & Technology

Stem cells: How we got here, where we’re going

January 17, 2019

This is the first in a series of four videos about stem cell research at UW–Madison: how it started, what it's achieved, and where it's headed. Catch up on what's happened since James Thomson's prescient prediction that stem cells "will change medicine, period." 

Unraveling threads of bizarre hagfish’s explosive slime

January 15, 2019

Jean-Luc Thiffeault, a University of Wisconsin–Madison math professor, and collaborators Randy Ewoldt and Gaurav Chaudhary of the University of Illinois have modeled the hagfish’s gag-inducing defense mechanism mathematically.

Study: “Post-normal” science requires unorthodox communication strategies

January 14, 2019

Proposals to fight malaria by “driving” genes that slow its spread through mosquitoes is a high-risk, high-reward technology that presents a challenge to science journalists, according to a new report.

Gene-editing tool now being used to develop better antibiotics

January 11, 2019

Jason Peters and colleagues have repurposed the gene-editing tool CRISPR to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics, providing clues on how to improve existing antibiotics or develop new ones.

Flashing lights protect livestock in Chile — by deterring pumas

January 3, 2019

New UW–Madison research shows how bright, flashing lights can prevent puma attacks on livestock in Chile, without harming the predators.

Phone to farmer: Fungus on the way, time to spray

December 21, 2018

The apps and models compare current weather to historic data about conditions that are conducive to a particular plant disease, then calculate whether it makes sense to spray fungicide – or not spray and reduce pesticide use.

“Smart City” awards recognize 14 UW–Madison students in first stage

December 21, 2018

The competition encourages the sharing of fresh ideas and unconventional thinking for the benefit of Wisconsin.

Mercury levels in fish fluctuate along with water levels in lakes

December 20, 2018

A new study has found that when droughts cause water levels to drop, the levels of mercury found in fish also plummet. In wetter weather, water levels rise and levels of mercury in fish increase.

Black youths less protected from antisocial behaviors than white peers

December 14, 2018

New research assesses the developmental trajectories of antisocial behaviors in both black and white youths.

Watch comet 46P/Wirtanen, discovered by a Wisconsinite, as it nears Earth

December 13, 2018

The comet, discovered by Kenosha native Carl Wirtanen, a well-regarded hunter of astronomical objects and surveyor of the Milky Way in the 20th century, will make its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 16.