UW In The News

How the Traditions of Childhood Get Passed Down

If you ask a kid where a particular game or rhyme came from, they’ll likely tell you they invented it, Rebekah Willett, a professor at the Information School at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has studied childlore, told me: “They cannot trace it, and they have no investment in tracing it.”

Ghostly Neutrino Particles Provide a Peek at Heart of Nearby Galaxy

Dr. Taboada said he thinks IceCube will continue to get more neutrinos originating from this galaxy. Those future detections could not only help parse out additional details about Messier 77’s supermassive black hole, but could help answer the “oldest question in astronomy,” according to Francis Halzen, a University of Wisconsin-Madison physicist and principal investigator of IceCube.

Spiral galaxy is source of far-flung neutrinos

“We discovered neutrinos reaching us from the cosmos in 2013,” says Francis Halzen, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and part of the IceCube collaboration who authored the paper, “which raised the question of where they originate.”

Tiny neutrinos deliver message from a hidden supermassive black hole

“A pattern emerged but we weren’t sure whether we were seeing fluctuations in the data or if this was real,” says Francis Halzen, principal investigator of IceCube and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Underground Antarctic Observatory Unlocks New Era of Ghost Particle Astronomy

These ghosts, as Justin Vandenbroucke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an IceCube team member put it, are fit to solve two major mysteries in astronomy. First off, a wealth of galaxies in our universe boast gravitationally monstrous voids at their centers, black holes reaching masses millions to billions of times greater than our sun’s. And these black holes, when active, blast jets of light from their guts — emitting enough illumination to outshine every single star in the galaxy itself. “We don’t understand how that happens,” Vandenbrouke simply summarizes.

When destitute small towns mean dangerous tap water

“Mostly what regulators have is moral appeal and they’ll wag their finger,” said Manny Teodoro, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who focuses on public policy and water.

Whatever happened to the common cold vaccine?

“Considering there are more than 100 types of A and B rhinoviruses,” notes Yury Bochkov, a respiratory virus specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, “you would have to put all 100 types in one vial of vaccine in order to enable protection” against just A and B rhinoviruses. Add in all the C rhinovirus types (more than 50), then cram in RSV’s virus types (more than 40), and that same vaccine would have to be packed with more than 200 strains. Even then, it would only offer protection against about two-thirds of all common colds. “That was considered the major obstacle in development of those vaccines,” Bochkov says.

Save Countless Human Lives. Vaccinate Birds.

The trick is to develop a bird vaccine that works for a long time even as the virus mutates. Adel Talaat, a professor of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is developing a so-called “nanovaccine” that blends tiny particles of several different bird flu strains.

FDA panel asks for improvements in pulse oximeters

“The sample size seems concerningly small for devices that affect the health of millions of patients,” said David Sterken, a hospitalist at the University of Wisconsin who spoke before the panel, which met virtually for eight hours.

Fox Host Larry Kudlow Keeps Shamelessly Promoting His Own MAGA ‘White House in Waiting’

However, Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while “this would clearly be a conflict of interest for a business or financial reporter, I doubt Kudlow’s audience views him as that and I don’t recall his laying claim to being a journalist.” She added that Kudlow is clearly a “commentator and is being transparent with his audience about an entanglement that could be seen as a conflict.”

What happens if a ballot is damaged or improperly marked?

In many cases, it’s done by bipartisan teams of poll workers, said Barry Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison. That’s not the case everywhere, though it’s common that it’s performed by at least two people — even two staff members — said Jennifer Morrell, a partner at The Elections Group, which works with election officials to improve processes.

Here’s How You Would Die on Each Planet of the Solar System

As an added bonus, humans would also die on all the moons of the Solar System. Betül Kaçar, a professor and lead scientist at the NASA Center for Early Life and Evolution at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told Newsweek that, aside from not being able to breathe, people could experience being “bathed in irradiation as you pass through Jupiter’s magnetic field lines” on Europa, being “flash-frozen in a lake of methane and ethane” on Titan, or being “blasted out into space in an icy geyser” on Enceladus.

The flaw in ranked-choice voting: rewarding extremists

When there are more than two candidates, it is not just about counting votes accurately. How you determine a winner from the tallied votes matters too. Given our current polarized political environment, Alaska and the other states that have adopted ranked-choice voting are doing it wrong.

-Nathan Atkinson is an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin Law School. Scott C. Ganz is an associate teaching professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a research fellow in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

Progressive Democrats retract Biden Ukraine letter after furious debate

Russia specialists warned that the intervention could embolden Putin and loosen US commitment to lead the international coalition in support of Ukraine. Yoshiko Herrera, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “The biggest problem in the letter is that it may weaken US support for Ukraine by fostering the appearance of divisions among those who support Ukraine.”

Midterm elections 2022: 3 factors driving the return of ticket-splitting 

“It reached its height in the mid to late ’80s, especially at the federal level, [with] people voting [differently] for president and Congress,” Barry C. Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Vox. But as political polarization, the decline of local news, and the nationalization of local politics have increased in the past two decades, split-ticket voting has been dying a slow death.

The Jan. 6 committee is fueling unwarranted distrust of the Fifth Amendment

But the committee gains nothing by highlighting the advisors’ decision to plead the Fifth, and it risks further eroding one of the most important rights in the American criminal justice system.

-Steven Wright teaches criminal constitutional law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. He is also the former co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

Helium shortage: Doctors are worried that running out of the element could threaten MRIs

“You get these sharp images, and you can distinguish soft tissues,” said Dr. Scott Reeder, chief of MRI at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “It’s central to many things we do in modern medicine.” MRIs help doctors diagnose brain tumors, strokes, spinal cord injuries, liver diseases and cancer. The 3D images, experts say, are irreplaceable.

World’s largest ocean reserve off Hawaii has spillover benefits nearby, study finds

The findings, published in the journal Science, by researchers from the University of Hawaii and the University of Wisconsin-Madison may strengthen support for a target, agreed by more than 100 countries, to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.“This research is important because it helps us understand that a large, carefully placed no-fishing zone can create benefits for these large iconic species,” said Jennifer Raynor, an environmental economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one of the paper’s three co-authors.

Marine protection areas are a win-win for fish and humans | Popular Science

Both the size of the no-fishing zone (about four times the size of California) and apparent homing behaviors of some tuna species possibly played a role in these positive effects. The Hawaiian islands appear to be a nursery for baby yellowfin tuna and many of the fish stay in the region, according to study co-author Jennifer Raynor, a professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Ancient DNA gives rare snapshot of Neanderthal family ties

University of Wisconsin anthropologist John Hawks, who was not involved in the study, said the research was an exciting application of ancient DNA evidence, even as many questions remain about Neanderthal social structures and lifestyles.

Tua Tagovailoa reveals he doesn’t remember being carted off the field after concussion

Neuroscientist Julie Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told CNN it can typically take 10 to 14 days after a concussion for the brain to get back to its baseline condition.

Retirees who want to ease the burden of inflation just need to get a little creative: Here’s how

If you think being thrifty is the opposite of fun, you’re not alone, according to Christine Whelan, professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

“When you say ‘thrift,’ people think of thrift stores right away,” she said, “and after that, it’s things that are old or broken, or maybe people who are stingy. But this is not about hoarding or buying only cheap things. It’s about being conscious of how you spend your resources and whether that’s in keeping with your values.”

For Bad Bunny’s fans, he’s more than a global superstar. He’s a political icon.

Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, an assistant professor of Latin American and Caribbean history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said he is glad Bad Bunny has taken a stand on a range of social issues. “But I think that we cannot expect him to lead any sort of movement. He is, like us, a person that learns new things every day.”

“Dirty” cows are destroying the Amazon rainforest

There’s nothing inherent about the Amazon that makes it a good place to raise cows, though it’s an easy way to make money, said Amintas Brandão Jr., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Often, farmers or companies will first cut down high-value trees and sell them as timber and then clear the remaining vegetation with fire. Then, they bring cattle in and sell the property, or raise the cows for slaughter.

15 best skin care products for rosacea and redness

The location of the bumps on your face can also help you figure out whether they’re the result of rosacea. “Hormonal acne or other forms of adult acne tend to involve more of the lower face, whereas with rosacea we see the involvement of the nose, the central part of the cheeks and the center of the forehead,” said Dr. Apple Bodemer, a board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

UW-Madison prof Monica Kim wins coveted MacArthur fellowship

The MacArthur Foundation selected UW-Madison professor, historian and author Monica Kim for one of this year’s 25 fellowship spots, the organization announced Wednesday. The so-called “genius grant” is perhaps the most competitive and sought-after award in the arts, sciences, humanities and academia.

Climate change, deforestation is increasing risks for primates: study

Putting together such a massive amount of information was “a huge job” by Eppley, said co-author Karen Strier, a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s anthropology department. Strier has studied the northern muriqui, a primate species in Brazil since 1982.

Forget Weed, Wine and Xanax: Science Has Better Ways to Treat Anxiety

Dr. Ned Kalin, chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Psychiatry, has been studying the genetics and neurobiology of stress and anxiety for decades. One of the big surprises he’s uncovered is that the amygdala, the brain structure long thought to be the seat of fear, is not genetically associated with anxiety.

UW Odyssey Project turns 20: Grads recount how it’s changed their lives

With Fall Migration, Bird Flu Flies Back Into Town

“It’s like bringing the kids to day care from different suburbs,” said Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. “As they commingle, that’s where the virus moves around on a global scale.”