Category Science & Technology
UW 2020: New VCRGE program to support early stage research
In an effort to create a dynamic new funding mechanism for bold research ideas, ideas with potential to drive significant discoveries, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (VCRGE), with support from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), is teeing up a new program to seed potentially groundbreaking research.
UW study shows how a kernel got naked and corn became king
Ten thousand years ago, a golden grain got naked, brought people together and grew to become one of the top agricultural commodities on the planet.
Cages offer new direction in sustainable catalyst design
University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have developed a new approach to structuring the catalysts used in essential reactions in the chemical and energy fields. The advance offers a pathway for industries to wean themselves off of platinum, one of the scarcest metals in the earth's crust.
Researchers pinpoint where the brain unites our eyes’ double vision
If you have two working eyes, you are live streaming two images of the world into your brain. Your brain combines the two to produce a view of the world that appears as though you had a single eye - like the Cyclops from Greek mythology.
Smaller and smarter antennas for military use
When it comes to protecting the men and women of the armed forces, University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher Nader Behdad focuses his work on an obstacle most people wouldn't associate with combat: the physical limitations of low-frequency antennas.
Keeping up that positive feeling: the science of savoring emotions
Savoring a beautiful sunset and the positive emotions associated with it can contribute to improved well-being, according to research. But why and how are some people better than others in keeping the feeling alive?
Words jump-start vision, psychologist’s study shows
Cognitive scientists have come to view the brain as a prediction machine, constantly comparing what is happening around us to expectations based on experience - and considering what should happen next.
Molecular fuel cell catalysts hold promise for efficient energy storage
In the quest for better, less expensive ways to store and use energy, platinum and other precious metals play an important role. They serve as catalysts to propel the most efficient fuel cells, but they are costly and rare.
Cancer discovery links experimental vaccine and biological treatment
A new study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has linked two seemingly unrelated cancer treatments that are both now being tested in clinical trials.
Catalyzing materials research across Wisconsin
Throughout the University of Wisconsin System, there is a wealth of materials expertise, equipment and research facilities - but connecting those resources across campuses and between academia and industry often depends on serendipity and informally built connections.
As giant physics machine restarts, essential role for UW continues
University of Wisconsin–Madison takes pride in the process of "sifting and winnowing, by which alone the truth can be found." So it makes poetic sense, says Wesley Smith, that he, as a UW–Madison physicist, is overseeing the ultrafast sifting and winnowing procedure for the CMS (compact muon solenoid) experiment, one of two general purpose detectors at history's largest scientific project, the Large Hadron Collider.
Gift to Morgridge Institute ‘Fab Lab’ to boost medical device innovations
A gift to the Morgridge Institute for Research will help spur medical device innovations coming directly from doctors - the people who know firsthand where the advances are needed.
UW-Madison collaboration promotes well-being in the workplace
Standing in front of a room of business professionals, Jill McDermott shares a number: two quadrillion - the number of megabytes of information broadcast daily. She pauses to let the audience reflect on how this inundation of information contributes to distractions in the workplace that can chip away at a person's well-being and ability to respond to daily challenges, whether it's giving projects the attention they deserve or shaking off a setback or conflict with a colleague.
Protein Suggests a New Strategy to Thwart Infection
The newfound ability of a protein of the intestines and lungs to distinguish between human cells and the cells of bacterial invaders could underpin new strategies to fight infections.
Fueled by nanoparticles, new catalyst does more with less platinum
Platinum is a highly reactive and in-demand catalyst across the chemical and energy industries, but a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison and Georgia Institute of Technology scientists could reduce the world's dependence on this scarce and expensive metal.
One hot idea: Thermal spray makes metal better
A company spawned by an experiment on lawn mower blades has mushroomed into a national leader in high-temperature coatings that alter the surface properties of metal.
Neutron star’s echoes give astronomers a new measuring stick
In late 2013, when the neutron star at the heart of one of our galaxy’s oddest supernovae gave off a massive burst of X-rays, the resulting echoes — created when the X-rays bounced off clouds of dust in interstellar space — yielded a surprising new measuring stick for astronomers.
Stem cell expert: Bart Starr treatment shows need for rigorous trials in U.S.
The news that legendary Green Bay Packer quarterback Bart Starr has undergone stem cell therapy to recover from a stroke has raised the profile for a promising but unproven regenerative treatment intended to replace dead neurons with live ones.