Science news from around campus
- Patterns in changing ecological landscapes inspire professorThirty years after visiting Yellowstone National Park for the first time, Monica Turner has established herself as a leader in the field of ecology and made Yellowstone one of the most well-studied ecological landscapes in the country.
Aug. 27, 2008
- Science News writer will be in residence in SeptemberNathan Seppa, Science News biomedical writer, will be the biomedical and public health writer in residence on campus from Monday–Friday, Sept. 8–12, will give a public talk, “Evolutionary Medicine: What Happens When We Are Hard-Wired for the Stone Age but Live in the Modern World,” at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Memorial Union (check Today in the Union for room).
Aug. 27, 2008
- Professor tracks mosquitoes for the sake of public healthUnder a cloud of mosquitoes on a muggy June morning, Susan Paskewitz sits down in the grass, rolls up her pant leg and extends her calf as bait.
Aug. 22, 2008
- Manes, trains and antlers explainedA team of Wisconsin scientists has worked out the molecular details of how a simple genetic switch controls decorative traits in male fruit flies and how that switch evolved.
Aug. 21, 2008
- WiCell Research Institute launches new stem cell bankThe WiCell Research Institute, a private, not-for-profit supporting organization to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is launching its own stem cell bank to distribute cell lines beyond the 21 lines eligible for federal funding and distribution through the National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB).
Aug. 21, 2008
- New book spotlights Wisconsin's river historyFrom logging to water skiing, rivers have always played a role in the Wisconsin's story. Now a new book by a University of Wisconsin-Madison staff member brings the state's rivers together in sharp detail.
Aug. 21, 2008
- Lecture series honoring Denice Denton planned for Sept. 12Nancy Hopkins, Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will deliver the first lecture in the Denice D. Denton Distinguished Lecture Series.
Aug. 19, 2008
- SEMATECH donates cutting-edge lab equipment to UW-MadisonStudents in Mechanical Engineering Professor Roxann Engelstad's lab, sought after in industry for their problem-solving experience, now can graduate even more well-versed in cutting-edge technology.
Aug. 18, 2008
- Curiosities: What's behind the claims that the new particle accelerator in Europe may create black holes that could destroy the Earth? Should we be worried?
Aug. 18, 2008
- The biology of obesity: Do these genes make me look fat?Scientists are probing the complex relationship between our DNA and our diets to unravel the root causes of obesity. But for those seeking a simple solution to the worldwide fat epidemic, their answers may be hard to swallow.
Aug. 15, 2008
- Engineering students partner with Red Cliff Indian Reservation to improve community infrastructure'Hello, or as they say around here, 'boozhoo!'' called out Tim Funk, tribal planner for the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, to four engineering students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB).
Aug. 15, 2008
- Self-assembling polymer arrays improve data storage potentialA new manufacturing approach holds the potential to overcome the technological limitations currently facing the microelectronics and data-storage industries, paving the way to smaller electronic devices and higher-capacity hard drives.
Aug. 14, 2008
- Watershed study solidifies science behind ecosystem restoration projectsWorking with The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a pair of University of Wisconsin-Madison hydroecologists is evaluating the efficacy of an ecosystem restoration project along a stretch of the Pecatonica River near the small town of Barneveld in southwest Wisconsin.
Aug. 14, 2008
- World Stem Cell Summit offers registration discounts to UW-Madison communityThe Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center and the WiCell Research Institute will help supplement World Stem Cell Summit registrations for a limited number of faculty, staff, students and trainees.
Aug. 13, 2008
- Program bolsters number of minority engineering graduate degree recipientsElizabeth Felton never thought about pursuing a Ph.D. when, in 2000, she began her master's degree program in biomedical engineering. That changed during a gathering of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate Engineering Research Scholars program (GERS).
Aug. 12, 2008
- Fighting ash borer: To spray or not to spray?Perhaps the only good news in the Aug. 4 announcement that emerald ash borers have been found in southeastern Wisconsin is that the invasive pest took its time getting here.
Aug. 12, 2008
- Slide show: Bucky (and friends) go to the fairCream puffs and the giant slide aside, the Wisconsin State Fair is a great venue for learning new things about the world — making it an ideal spot for UW-Madison to settle in for a day. On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the university did just that by bringing a sampling of science, music and athletics to the citizens of the state during UW-Madison Day at the Fair.
Aug. 8, 2008
- UW-Madison students improve Ecuador water qualityCivil and environmental engineering students used their senior design capstone project as an opportunity to fix a water pipeline serving five communities in Ecuador.
Aug. 7, 2008
- Conference brings science into focus for visually impairedA conference titled Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind Conference on Teaching, Learning and Practicing Science for Students with Visual Impairments has been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, at UW-Madison.
Aug. 6, 2008
- Rising from the ashes: The science of Yellowstone’s rebirthWhen wildfires raged through more than a million acres of a beloved national park, the destruction seemed complete. But a UW researcher looked closer — and found hope growing among the remains.
Aug. 6, 2008
- UW-Madison ecologist receives MacArthur AwardUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison zoology professor Monica Turner was lauded Aug. 4 for work that was once criticized as 'pseudoscience.'
Aug. 5, 2008
- Emerald ash borer detected in state: experts available for commentToday (Aug. 4), the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced the first identification of emerald ash borer in the state of Wisconsin. The following are experts in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and UW-Extension who can provide expert commentary on what the identification means and the implications for Wisconsin’s trees.
Aug. 4, 2008
- South Pole researchers training this week at UW's Physical Sciences LabThis week marks the annual 'Driller and Deployer Workshop' for research staff who will work at the South Pole as part of the well-known IceCube Neutrino Observatory project.
Aug. 4, 2008
- New $8.9 million project aims to unlock stem cell secretsAlthough scientists have had access to human embryonic stem cells for a decade, precisely how the all-purpose cell gives rise to all other cells in the body and why others do not remains a fundamental mystery of biology.
Aug. 4, 2008
- New ‘urban research park’ offers jolt of electricity to Madison high-tech startupsAfter three decades of almost exponential commercial growth on Madison's west side, the University Research Park (URP) will pursue an opportunity to sink roots downtown with an innovative 'urban research park' targeting high-technology entrepreneurs.
Aug. 4, 2008
- Curiosities: What will be the most likely fuel to replace gasoline?
July 31, 2008
- Curiosities: Which saves more gas: driving with windows closed, and the AC on, or AC off, and windows open?
July 30, 2008
- Landmark book on Wisconsin fishes is only a cast away onlineGeorge C. Becker's 'Fishes of Wisconsin' is the first comprehensive survey of the state's fish species and the environmental challenges they face. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1983, it remains the seminal reference to 157 fish species found in Wisconsin, many which are also found throughout much of the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins.
July 29, 2008
- Soil scientist's fascination with mineral yields plan for battling itA UW-Madison soil scientist may have found a solution to a pesky mineral that plagues wastewater engineers all over the country.
July 29, 2008
- Symbiotic microbes induce profound genetic changes in their hostsResearchers from the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and the University of Iowa identify a slew of microbe-induced genetic changes in a tiny squid, including a set of evolutionarily conserved genes that may hold the secrets to developing a mutually beneficial relationship.
July 28, 2008