“Using the same magnet for 20 or 30 years is not unheard of,” said Dr. Scott Reeder, chair of the University of Wisconsin’s radiology department.
The U.S. just sold its helium stockpile. Here’s why the medical world is worried.
NBC News
Category: Research
PETA pleads with NIH to stop funding for animal study, calls sleep experiment ‘cruel and horrific’
Fox News
Wants research on aging defunded at Wisconsin, even reached out to Florida governor for help
Pandemic’s high impact on rural areas stemmed from at-risk populations, vaccination rates, study says
MinnPost
The University of Wisconsin-Madison study attributed this difference to the fact that rural residents were older, sicker, and less vaccinated.
UW-Madison primate lab researchers say animal abuse complaints are misleading
Daily Cardinal
The primate lab has been under scrutiny since PETA brought forth allegations of animal cruelty. But scientists told The Daily Cardinal they follow humane guidelines to the much-needed field.
J. Henry & Sons is the only distillery in the world to use rare corn to make whiskey and bourbon
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1939, a corn known as W335A sat overlooked in a seed bank for decades. Today, that red heirloom corn is what sets apart J. Henry & Sons whiskey and bourbon. They’re the only ones in the world using it.
Grown for three generations at the Henry family farm in Dane County, W335A fell out of favor in the 1970s when higher-producing options became more available. It sat untouched at UW-Madison until 2006, when the Henry family began propagating the seed again. They began turning it into whiskey in 2009, and in 2015 J. Henry & Sons sold its first bottles.
Rural Wisconsinites see farm pollution, PFAS as big threats to clean drinking water, UW survey finds
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“If we’re thinking about how we want to manage or protect groundwater resources in the future, we really need to be thinking about what’s happening on the land surface. And if you look at Wisconsin, greater than 90% of the land is, really, rural land,” said Michael Cardiff, a professor in the department of geoscience at UW-Madison. “Rural water users are probably most connected to the largest area of land in Wisconsin, and could probably tell us about what sort of concerns they’re seeing.”
UW-Madison researchers lead nationwide Alzheimer’s study
Spectrum News
A $150 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be used by UW-Madison to fund nationwide research that investigates the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Dr. Nate Chin is the medical director for that study which will involve all 37 of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the U.S.
More studies show younger athletes across sports are at risk of developing brain disease
Wisconsin Public Radio
Julie Stamm researches CTE at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and authored a book called, “The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future.” During a recent interview with WPR’s “Central Time,” Stamm said the new Boston University study adds to other research undermining a misconception that CTE is only a concern for professional athletes.
“We know that’s not the case,” said Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the university’s Department of Kinesiology.
Can you afford an emergency? UW survey shows many don’t have $400 to spare. Blame inflation.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
With the new year, millions of people resolve to diet, exercise more or make changes in other aspects of their lives, including personal finances. For most of us, personal finance-related resolutions are a combination of spending less, saving more and maybe paying off some debts. Some of the newfound attention to our financial outlook may even stem from an expensive holiday season that just wrapped up. But the new year offers new opportunities to get on track.
Written by J. Michael Collins, the Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance at UW-Madison and a professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the School of Human Ecology.
Dogs’ Favorite TV Revealed By Vets
Newsweek
Do you ever get the feeling that your dog likes some TV shows more than others? Well, new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine has found that they actually love watching things that feature other animals. And this could help veterinarians assess dogs’ vision.
“The method we currently use to assess vision in dogs is a very low bar. In humans, it would be equivalent to saying yes or no if a person was blind,” Freya Mowat, a veterinary ophthalmologist and professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s department of surgical sciences, said in a summary of the findings.
I Lost $3,650 When My Niece’s Wedding Was Canceled
Business Insider
Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Financial Security tells us that 99% of domestic violence cases have a financial element. Signs of abuse include a victim depositing money into a joint account that the abuser later empties without warning. Or the abuser racks up debt in the victim’s name.
Research finds early exposure to lead pipes shortens lifespan
Wisconsin Public Radio
New research finds that early exposure to lead pipes can reduce an American man’s lifespan by an average of almost three months. Those are the findings from a paper co-authored by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The results are part of a broader body of research examining conditions in childhood that may affect the longevity of Americans.
Jason Fletcher, a professor with the university’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, said researchers compared U.S. Census records of men living in cities that had lead pipes to those living in cities that used non-lead materials in the early 20th century. Fletcher said they then linked the names and addresses of those individuals to their death records from 1975 to 2005. Fletcher said the paper did not examine women because of difficulties with linking data due to name changes when women married.
Is Madison projected to surpass Milwaukee in population in the coming decades? No.
Wisconsin Watch
Madison’s population will still be less than half that of Milwaukee in 2040, according to official population projections by the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2013. The 2040 projections estimated a Madison population of 281,150, compared with 627,400 for Milwaukee.
A regional study from 2022 projected larger growth figures for Madison, with estimates of 306,521 for 2035 and 345,675 for 2050. That’s still much smaller than the state’s largest city.
Study: Dogs prefer to watch TV featuring other dogs
Spectrum News
Knowing what TV shows a dog likes could help assess their vision, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s (UW-Madison) School of Veterinary Medicine.
In the study, researchers sought to determine what factors influenced a dog’s interest in engaging with videos, said Freya Mowat, veterinary ophthalmologist and professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s department of surgical sciences. Those factors included age and vision.
Opinion | Don’t let geopolitics erode America’s research engine
The Capital Times
Column by Erik Iverson, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
Survey: Students’ career influences and desired outcomes
Inside Higher Ed
Why is there a gap between student expectations about career outcomes and what their institutions actually deliver? Matthew T. Hora, associate professor of adult and higher education and founding director of the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who reviewed the findings, attributes it to several factors.
UW-Madison receives $150 million to study Alzheimer’s disease
The Capital Times
The National Institutes of Health is investing $150 million in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s research on Alzheimer’s disease — the largest award from the federal agency in the university’s history.
Alzheimer’s study at UW-Madison may improve odds for dementia treatment
Wisconsin State Journal
With predictions for a doubling of U.S. dementia patients by 2040, the need to better understand Alzheimer’s and its debilitating “relatives” has intensified. That’s why the five-year, $150 million federal grant awarded to the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health is critical to learning more about root causes, possible disease pathways and better clinical care.
2023 was one of Wisconsin’s hottest years in over a century
Wisconsin Public Radio
Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said Wisconsin tied 1987 to become the fourth-warmest year on record since 1895. The statewide average temperature for the year was 46.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which was roughly 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the long-term average. Only 2012, 1998 and 1931 were hotter.
Data from UW Health urgent care centers indicates a 4.5 percent increase from 2022 in visits for acute respiratory infections during a 9-week period spanning June and July last year.
Immigration to Wisconsin fueled modest population gains last year
Wisconsin Public Radio
So far this decade, the state has experienced about a quarter of the population growth it saw between 2010 and 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in deaths that altered the state’s trajectory, said David Egan-Robertson, demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Applied Population Laboratory.
“It actually may be a case that population will grow a little bit faster because there will be fewer deaths going forward in the state,” Egan-Robertson said.
Project exploring contributions of Black LGBTQ+ people among three projects in Wisconsin awarded funding by NEH
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison was awarded a fellowship to research and write a book on European socialist politics in the context of economic decolonization.
The project title is Failed Globalists: European Socialists, the Global South, and the Struggle for Economic Decolonization, 1945–2008. Giuliana Chamedes, associate professor of history at UW-Madison, was awarded $30,000 in funding for the fellowship.
Dogs like to watch dogs on TV, new study by UW researcher finds
Wisconsin Public Radio
Loss of vision over time is a particular interest for study author Freya Mowat, a veterinary ophthalmologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Mowat studies how dogs’ vision declines over time and what factors contribute to it. She said that research may have applications for humans, as well.
“If we are finding risk factors for unhealthy dog aging, we may also find risk factors for unhealthy human aging — because we live with our dogs,” Mowat said.
GOP-proposal limits pathogen research at higher education institutions
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin lawmakers are considering ending “gain-of-function” research at all higher education institutions in the state.
The rare practice of modifying risky pathogens to make them more harmful to people during research has become political and controversial since the COVID-19 outbreak.
UW-Madison researchers to receive $150 million for Alzheimer’s study
Wisconsin Public Radio
The National Institutes for Health is awarding a $150 million grant to UW-Madison researchers to study how Alzheimer’s and other dementias are affecting the brain. We talk with the study leader about Alzheimer’s and the future of dementia research.
New study: Mothers with low incomes find credit scoring system legitimate and work within it to obtain goals
Wisconsin Public Radio
Despite documented systemic barriers, a new UW-Madison study shows mothers with low incomes find the credit system in the United States legitimate. We speak with Sarah Halpern-Meekin and J. Michael Collins, two of the researchers.
‘Gain of function’ research prohibition bill receives public hearing
Wisconsin Examiner
A bill that would prohibit higher education institutions in Wisconsin from conducting “gain of function” research on “potentially pandemic pathogens” received a public hearing on Wednesday.
The bill — AB 413 — was introduced by Rep. Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) and Sen. André Jacque (R-DePere), who cited several incidents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and controversy over the origins of COVID-19.
Nate Jung on the use of generative AI as an educational tool
PBS Wisconsin
UW-Madison professor and editor Nate Jung describes how students can approach using generative AI to improve reading and writing skills while remaining mindful of its limitations as a teaching tool.
UW-Madison technology used to research early brain development
WORT FM
Stem cell biologists are gaining new insight into the human brain — thanks to technology developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Randolph Ashton is the associate director of UW-Madison’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center and says they can use that research to screen for numerous conditions like spina bifida and autism; and, according to Dr. Ashton, RosetteArray technology could eventually help scientists develop more specific medical treatments – and perhaps even a cure. When it comes to medical ethics, he says his primary concern is the prohibitive cost of such treatment.
UW to head up $150 million national study on Alzheimer’s disease
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison is heading up a $150 million study at Alzheimer’s disease centers around the country that seeks to shed more light on mixed dementia, or having more than one kind of the neurological disease.
UW-Madison receives grant to lead national Alzheimer’s study
WKOW-TV 27
Study leader Sterling Johnson said the study is a significant milestone in Alzheimer’s research.
Scientists scrutinize happiness research
Knowable Magazine
Simon Goldberg, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies the effects of meditation, including research among people who have psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. He noted that because of Dunn and Folk’s strict criteria, they omitted hundreds of studies on meditation’s benefits. “It’s, in the spirit of rigor, throwing lots of babies out with the bathwater,” he says. “It’s really very obvious that meditation training reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.”
AI copilots and cloud labs turbocharge research
Axios
Strateos, a Menlo Park-based cloud lab provider, says it has been able to reduce the experimental time cycle of protein engineers at University of Wisconsin Madison from 8 days to 6 hours by combining an “AI-driven protein design platform” with a cloud lab.
Wisconsin election clerks fear ‘ping pong’ of ever-changing rules
The Capital Times
A University of Wisconsin-Madison study of local clerks’ experiences after the contentious 2020 election found that over 60% of those surveyed said the turmoil wouldn’t affect their decision to continue serving. Some found that the experience actually strengthened their resolve to keep administering elections.
Wisconsin’s first nut crop fights climate change, farmers say
The Capital Times
Researchers and farmers have been trying to crossbreed these two species of hazelnuts for over 100 years, said Jason Fischbach, emerging crops outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. Since 2007, Fischbach has worked to develop a commercially viable version of this crop through the Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative. He partnered with farmers who grew the plant from seedlings to breed the best varieties.
New technology developed at UW-Madison aims to detect developmental disorders before birth
WKOW-TV 27
Professors and students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed groundbreaking technology that could assist doctors in identifying developmental disorders before a child is born.
Human activity is powering ‘a new industrial revolution’ at sea, say experts
The Guardian
Researchers from GFW; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Duke University; University of California, Santa Barbara; and SkyTruth analysed 2m gigabytes of satellite imagery between 2017 and 2021 to detect vessels and offshore infrastructure in coastal waters across six continents, where 75% of industrial activity is concentrated.
New Study Uncovers ‘Dark Vessels’ in the Ocean
The Inertia
Researchers have recently found a way to shine a light on ocean activity that was once conducted in the shadows. A new study published in the journal Nature was spearheaded with Global Fishing Watch (GFW), alongside researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Duke University, University of California Santa Barbara, and SkyTruth. In it, they combined satellite imagery, vessel GPS data and artificial intelligence to map industrial vessel activity and offshore energy infrastructure across the world from 2017 to 202
UW-Madison researcher shows spike in early births linked to COVID-19 infections declined as more people were vaccinated
Wisconsin Public Radio
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many health experts were concerned about the new disease’s impact on older adults and people who are immunocompromised.
Jenna Nobles, sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was interested in another potentially vulnerable group – pregnant people.
“We know that emerging infectious diseases can be extremely consequential for pregnancies, both people who are carrying the pregnancies and the infants who are born from them,” Nobles said.
How long does it take you to get in shape when you’ve gotten out of it?
Deseret News
University of Wisconsin researchers found in their study that after six weeks of working out, most people do not see a difference in their appearance.
We Are About to Enter the Golden Age of Gene Therapy
Inverse
Krishanu Saha, a bioengineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison whose lab is working on gene therapies for treating blindness, says the precision allowed by CRISPR-Cas9’s programmability is its singular selling point.
“Traditional gene therapy, which we call gene augmentation, is essentially flooding the cell with extra copies of a normal gene; in some cases, this doesn’t work,” Saha tells Inverse. “We found in a few cases, it’s really important to destroy the mutant copy of the [gene] or fix the underlying mutation and that’s where you have to have the precision of CRISPR to go in and specifically do that.”
Learning about plant disease through limericks
Wisconsin Public Radio
As destructive as they are, plant diseases can be intriguing. Brian Hudelson, known as ‘Dr. Death’ to Garden Talk fans, has published a fanciful book of limericks based on common and uncommon plant diseases. Hudelson is director of the Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic in the Department of Plant Pathology at UW-Madison
UW-Madison hired professional cheese tasters: Here’s how their research is going
WISC-TV 3
Job postings for “cheese tasters” at UW-Madison’s Center for Diary Research went viral over the summer, sparking hundreds of applications for only five positions.
Study: Lack of childhood nurturing linked to accelerated aging
Wisconsin Public Radio
A new study by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a lack of nurturing as a child is associated with accelerated aging later in life. The research looks at changes to a person’s genome that have been linked to their environment or behaviors — what’s called epigenetics. These markers can indicate a person’s biological age, or how much their body has aged physically.
Lauren Schmitz, professor at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, said the field of research around these epigenetic changes is still new because data is limited. Studies require both survey data on people’s health experiences and a blood sample.
Novel helmet liner 30 times better at stopping concussions
New Atlas
To improve their effectiveness, helmets worn by military personnel and sportspeople must employ a liner material that limits both. This is where researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison come in. Determined to prevent – or lessen the effect of – TBIs caused by knocks to the body and head, they’ve developed a new lightweight foam material for use as a helmet liner.
How Wisconsin players are helping researchers better understand hamstring injuries
Wisconsin State Journal
Lead researcher Bryan Heiderscheit, a UW-Madison orthopedics professor, said the main goal is to advance the understanding and prevention of hamstring injuries that are the most common ailment for NFL players.
Wisconsin scientists study how to keep cheese fresh and prolong the squeakiness of cheese curds
Wisconsin Public Radio
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, tasting cheese is serious business.
“Everything is prescribed, down to what temperature we taste at, how many chews we do, how forcefully we chew and a lot of other things that standardize how we taste,” said Brandon Prochaska, a sensory coordinator for the center, during a recent appearance on WPR’s “The Morning Show.”
Common chemo drugs for cancer work differently than assumed, UW study says
Wisconsin State Journal
Widely used chemotherapy drugs don’t attack cancer the way doctors thought, according to a UW-Madison study that identifies a new mechanism that could improve the search for new drugs and help tailor treatments for patients,
“It’s a totally different mechanism than the field had been thinking about for the last several decades,” said Beth Weaver, a UW-Madison professor of cell and regenerative biology who is senior author of the study, published recently in the journal PLOS Biology.
UW study: Mice live longer, healthier lives with less of one amino acid
Wisconsin Public Radio
A calorie is not just a calorie. That’s the lesson University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers said they demonstrated in a new study where mice lost weight while eating more.
“And they’re fitter throughout their lifespan, too,” said professor and metabolism researcher Dudley Lamming. “So they’re still able to run and climb, and they don’t grow as frail as normal animals do as they age.”
New research highlights effects of biodiversity and pollution in spread of animal diseases
Wisconsin Public Radio
New research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that pollution and biodiversity are factors that can change how vulnerable animals are to disease or parasites.
Jess Hua, an associate professor in the department of Forest Wildlife and Ecology at UW-Madison, said diseases affecting various animal species are “emerging at unprecedented rates” and biologists are trying to learn why.
Scientists study emotional reactions to 2023 being the hottest year ever recorded
National Public Radio
“One of the things that the research is suggesting right now is that young people, in particular, have a tendency to move towards emotions like anxiety and anger, which are activating – you know, they compel you to do something,” said UW–Madison’s Dekila Chungyalpa, director of The Loka Initiative.
Learning to sleep like a bear could save your life
Washington Post
“It’s an exciting time for hibernation biology,” said Hannah Carey, UW–Madison professor emerit of Comparative Biosciences. “People from outside of traditional hibernation world are wanting to come in and collaborate.”
Octopus DNA seems to confirm scientists’ theory about a long-standing geological mystery
CNN
In a commentary published alongside the study, Andrea Dutton, a professor in the department of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Robert M.
DeConto, a professor at the School of Earth and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, called the new research “pioneering.”
They noted that while geological evidence had been mounting that the icy expanse of the West Antarctic ice sheet may have collapsed during the Last Interglacial period, “each study’s findings have come with caveats.”
Could lab-grown meat compete with factory farms?
Wisconsin Public Radio
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the first lab-grown chicken meat for commercial sale. It’s the first cell-cultivated meat to be approved in the country, and it’s grown from stem cells in a bioreactor—no slaughter required. We talk to Jeff Sindelar, a professor and extension meat specialist in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about whether lab-grown meat could eventually compete with the factory-farmed meat that dominates the industry.
Tax credits and remote work
POLITICO
New Jersey development continues to flourish in some of the Garden State’s most fire-prone areas, the Asbury Park Press found during an analysis of housing and forest data from the University of Wisconsin.
Why won’t we listen? How about 25 Black counselors and teachers in MPS, not cops.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New research by a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor suggests police in schools don’t reduce violence, diminish crime, or have any impact on the presence of weapons or drugs in a school.
If anything, having police in schools has an impact on young people’s mental health, according to Ben Fisher, a UW-Madison associate professor who reviewed 32 evaluations of school-based police programs, said he found that police in schools weren’t shown to diminish school violence, crime, or the presence of weapons or drugs.
UW-Madison Researcher: AI holds promise in schools
Spectrum News
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who studies technology in education said artificial intelligence holds promise in schools. David Williamson Shaffer is the Sears Bascom Professor of Learning Analytics at UW-Madison. He got into this work after being a teacher in the 80s and 90s.
“Graphing calculators and computers were just starting to come to the place where they were impacting the classroom, were a kind of change agent,” Shaffer said. “They were a way in which the old system was disrupted just enough that we had a chance to rethink a little bit about what we were doing.”
Pr. George’s to get $300 million pavilion with obstetrical services
Washington Post
The county ranks 24th out of Maryland’s 24 counties for clinical care — anything relating to the direct medical treatment or testing of patients — according to data from University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.
Tantalum cold spray boosts potential of fusion reactor chambers
New Atlas
“These hydrogen neutral particles cause power losses in the plasma, which makes it very challenging to sustain a hot plasma and have an effective small fusion reactor,” said Mykola Ialovega, a postdoctoral researcher in nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW–Madison). Ialovega has led research on a coating that has demonstrated the ability to line fusion reactor chambers and capture this rogue hydrogen.
Police are slated to return to Milwaukee Public Schools in January. But do cops in schools help or hurt?
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ben Fisher, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor who reviewed 32 evaluations of school-based police programs, said he found that police in schools weren’t shown to diminish school violence, crime or the presence of weapons or drugs.
Wisconsin scientists studying gene-editing tech to cure blindness
Wisconsin Public Radio
Krishanu Saha leads the CRISPR Vision Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is member of National Institute of Health’s Somatic Cell Genome Editing Consortium. His lab is specifically studying how to cure Best disease as well as Leber congenital amaurosis, one of the most common causes of blindness in children.
“All of the testing that we’ve done thus far shows a lot of promise that it can actually correct the defects in these cells. And so the task for us over the next five years is to formulate a medicine that could be used here in trials enrolling patients,” Saha said in a recent interview with WPR’s “The Morning Show.”