Tag Biosciences

Scientists reveal how deadly toxin hijacks cells

March 16, 2006

Scientists have pinpointed exactly how botulinum neurotoxin A - a potential agent of biological warfare and one of the most lethal toxins known to humans - is able to sneak into cells.

Researcher carves out role of champion of cheese

March 16, 2006

The most ironic thing about Mark Johnson, one of Wisconsin's leading experts on cheese, is that he spent the first half of his life simply hating the stuff. But the years can change a man and his taste buds. Now, as senior scientist at UW–Madison's Center for Dairy Research, Johnson has devoted his career to enhancing the quality of Wisconsin cheeses.

UW-Madison to launch new influenza research institute

March 15, 2006

In an effort to bolster what is already recognized as one of the world's top programs of influenza research, UW–Madison announced today plans to launch a new Institute for Influenza Viral Research.

Conference to explore global biological threats

March 14, 2006

Leading government and academic experts from Washington, D.C. and Madison will address key issues surrounding global biological threats in an all-day symposium April 7 at UW–Madison.

Liquid crystals show promise in controlling embryonic stem cells

March 6, 2006

Liquid crystals, the same phase-shifting materials used to display information on cell phones, monitors and other electronic equipment, can also be used to report in real time on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells.

Mispairs in genetic material make protein synthesis more efficient

March 6, 2006

A UW–Madison bacteriologist reveals that mispaired nucleotides in transfer RNA actually make the molecule more adroit, enhancing its ability to build proteins. The paper also illustrates the dynamic nature of genetic material, which is not flat, like an illustration in a textbook, but twists and bends as it interacts with cellular machinery.

New veterinary medicine program supports Wisconsin aquaculture

March 1, 2006

Friday night fish fries are just one clue that the fish industry, including fish farming, is big business in Wisconsin. UW–Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine is helping launch a new fish health program to protect Wisconsin's growing aquaculture industry.

Great (taste) expectations: study shows brain can manipulate taste

February 21, 2006

A team of UW–Madison scientists tested the ability of the human brain to mitigate foul taste through a ruse of anticipation. The work, conducted at the UW–Madison Waisman Center using high-tech brain imaging techniques and distasteful concoctions of quinine on a cohort of college students, reveals in detail how the brain responds to a manipulation intended to mitigate an unpleasant experience.

Wisconsin scientists find a way to make human collagen in the lab

February 13, 2006

A team of scientists at UW–Madison reports the discovery of a method for making human collagen in the lab, opening the door to broader medical applications.

Study explains unexpected conductivity of nanoscale silicon

February 8, 2006

When graduate student Pengpeng Zhang successfully imaged a piece of silicon just 10 nanometers-or a millionth of a centimeter-in thickness, she and her UW–Madison co-researchers were puzzled. According to established thinking, the feat should be impossible because her microscopy method required samples that conduct electricity.

Darwin’s Day: Making the case for evolution

February 2, 2006

Just in time for Charles Darwin's 197th birthday, an eminent group of UW–Madison faculty have joined forces to make the case on Feb. 11 for the iconographic scientist and what they consider to be biology's prevailing central idea: Evolution.

From 2D blueprint, material assembles into novel 3D nanostructures

January 27, 2006

An international team of scientists affiliated with the UW–Madison Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center has coaxed a self-assembling material into forming never-before-seen, three-dimensional nanoscale structures, with potential applications ranging from catalysis and chemical separation to semiconductor manufacturing.

Canine cancer vaccine shows early promise

January 26, 2006

It wasn't publicized, other than by word of mouth, and still the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine was overwhelmed with requests. Since 1998, the school's oncology department has been producing an anti-cancer vaccine for dogs diagnosed with melanoma.

UW scientists unravel mystery of how flu viruses replicate

January 25, 2006

With the help of a long-studied flu virus, an electron microscope and a novel idea of how the virus aligns segments of RNA as it prepares to make virions, the particles a virus creates and sends forth to infect cells, one major puzzle of flu virus replication has been resolved.

Mining for gems in the fungal genome

January 23, 2006

Ever since penicillin, a byproduct of a fungal mold, was discovered in 1929, scientists have scrutinized fungi for other breakthrough drugs. As reported Jan. 20 in the Journal of Chemistry and Biology, a team led by a UW–Madison researcher has developed a new method that may speed the ongoing quest for medically useful compounds in fungi.

Scientists link a gene to degenerative blindness

January 18, 2006

A team of researchers at UW–Madison has taken a small but crucial step forward in the ongoing fight against retinal degeneration diseases.

New Wisconsin Idea grants venture into diverse territory

January 12, 2006

With topics ranging from nanotechnology to secondhand smoke and target audiences from at-risk children to cancer caregivers, a new round of "Wisconsin Idea" grants at the UW–Madison offer a fresh approach to serving state citizens.

Study reveals classic symbiotic relationship between ants, bacteria

January 5, 2006

Ants that tend and harvest gardens of fungus have a secret weapon against the parasites that invade their crops: antibiotic-producing bacteria that the insects harbor on their bodies,UW-Madison researchers report in today's issue of Science.

Wisconsin scientists grow two new stem cell lines in animal cell-free culture

January 1, 2006

Scientists working at the WiCell Research Institute, a private laboratory affiliated with UW–Madison, have developed a precisely defined stem cell culture system free of animal cells and used it to derived two new human embryonic stem cell lines.

Advance points way to noninvasive brain cancer treatment

January 1, 2006

With an equal rate of incidence and mortality-the number of those who get the disease and those who die from it-Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a brain cancer death sentence. Scientists at UW–Madison are working on a new radiotherapy technique for fighting GBM with the element gadolinium — an approach that might lead to less invasive treatments that offer greater quality of life for patients.