Category Science & Technology
UW-Madison storage ring designated as historic site
The world's first dedicated source of synchrotron radiation, an electron storage ring named Tantalus, has been designated an historic site by the American Physical Society.
UW-Madison bioethicist co-chairs gene editing study
R. Alta Charo, a professor of law and longtime student of the regulation and ethics of biotechnology, was named co-chair of a study committee established Nov. 12 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to look into the implications of a faster, easier and more precise method for "editing" genes.
Antibody targets key cancer marker; opens door to better diagnosis, therapy
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have created a molecular structure that attaches to a molecule on highly aggressive brain cancer and causes tumors to light up in a scanning machine. In mouse models of human brain cancer, their tag is easily seen in a PET scanner, which is commonly used to detect cancer.
UW neuroscientists describe brain chemicals that create PTSD response
A new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison neuroscientists shows how stress chemicals reshape the brains of rodents, research that could lead to better treatments for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Drug protects fertility and may prolong life in chemo-treated mice
A University of Wisconsin–Madison physician and her research team have shown that a heart medication can prevent ovarian damage and improve survival in adolescent mice after chemotherapy. The treatment also increased the number of their healthy offspring.
Moving fast to study nitrate in the Mississippi, algae in Mendota
The Mississippi River has long had its explorers. From de Soto to Marquette, Lewis and Clark to Clemens, the fourth largest river in the world has for centuries inspired enchantment.
Minuscule, flexible compound lenses magnify large fields of view
Drawing inspiration from an insect's multi-faceted eye, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have created miniature lenses with vast range of vision.
Radiolab’s Soren Wheeler to be fall Science Writer in Residence
Soren Wheeler, an author and senior editor at Radiolab, has been named UW–Madison’s fall 2015 Science Writer in Residence.
UW–Madison engineers reveal record-setting flexible phototransistor
Inspired by mammals' eyes, University of Wisconsin–Madison electrical engineers have created the fastest, most responsive flexible silicon phototransistor ever made.
Divorce rate doesn’t go up as families of children with disabilities grow
Couples raising a child with developmental disabilities do not face a higher risk of divorce if they have larger families, according to a new study by researchers from the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Sprouting a new future for Wisconsin’s red and white
At a family farm where over 2 percent of the world’s cranberries are grown, Wisconsin’s state fruit sat in two bowls available to guests.
Scientists: Harnessing microbes could help solve hunger, health, chemical and energy problems
Tim Donohue, a UW–Madison bacteriology professor and director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, joined 17 other scientists from around the world and representing a wide range of disciplines today (Oct. 28, 2015) to lay out a case for an organized approach to harnessing the power of microbes to tackle many of the world’s most pressing problems.
150 respond to call for innovative research proposals
UW–Madison’s latest research initiative — UW2020: WARF Discovery Initiative — has received an overwhelming response from researchers eager to jump-start their innovative projects.
Researchers embrace and reap benefits of Electronic Lab Notebooks
In the fall of 2014, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers gained a new option for storing and organizing experimental data, notes and procedures: the campus Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) system. Since then, nearly 100 labs across campus have begun to use it.
Mycologist says our close relatives break the bounds of biology
The mushroom nicknamed "death cap" made headlines this summer when it poisoned Syrian refugees fleeing through Eastern Europe.
Mother-of-pearl’s genesis identified in mineral’s transformation
How nature makes its biominerals - things like teeth, bone and seashells - is a playbook scientists have long been trying to read.
Study questions dates for cataclysms on early moon, Earth
Phenomenally durable crystals called zircons are used to date some of the earliest and most dramatic cataclysms of the solar system. One is the super-duty collision that ejected material from Earth to form the moon roughly 50 million years after Earth formed. Another is the late heavy bombardment, a wave of impacts that may have created hellish surface conditions on the young Earth, about 4 billion years ago.
Embrace the chaos: Predictable ecosystems may be more fragile
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says managing our environment for predictable outcomes is risky. In fact, more often than not, it backfires.
WARF draws top inventors, entrepreneurs for fall discussion series
To cap its 90th anniversary celebration, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is hosting a four-part discussion series exploring the cycle of innovation.