The words Gov. Jim Doyle used this week to defend state support for embryonic stem-cell research deserve to be repeated:The research, the governor wrote, “holds the potential to save countless lives and bring thousands of jobs to our stat
Whether it’s an order of French fries or a juicy steak, our portion sizes are becoming as large as our waistlines.It’s hard to resist, when many restaurants let you upsize your meal for mere pennies.
We concede, as we’re sure the governor does, that embryonic stem cell research, despite its potential to relieve human suffering, poses a serious problem for some religious leaders and other Americans. They argue that because the research requires the destruction of embryos, it is wrong because a human life is sacrificed. We also believe that Archbishop Dolan and Bishop Morlino, as religious leaders, have every right to tell the governor they believe his position is wrong and ask him to reverse course. By no means does that violate the separation of church and state.
But we come down on the side of the governor. As he noted, the embryos involved are from unused fertilized embryos from fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded.
The words Gov. Jim Doyle used this week to defend state support for embryonic stem-cell research deserve to be repeated:
The research, the governor wrote, “holds the potential to save countless lives and bring thousands of jobs to our state.”
That powerful potential for good is why there should be no retreat from state funding and policies supporting stem-cell research at UW-Madison.
The Johns Hopkins University spent $1.375 billion for science, medical and engineering research in fiscal 2004, making it the top U.S. institution in research spending for the 26th year in a row, according to a National Science Foundation report. UW-Madison recorded $763 million in spending and ranked fourth. (Second item)
If life gives you kidney stones, make lemonade.
New research shows that lemonade is an effective ââ?¬â? and delicious ââ?¬â? way for kidney-stone-prone people to slow the development of new stones.
“When treating patients in our kidney stone center, we put everyone on lemonade therapy,” says Steven Y. Nakada, chair and professor of urology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
When I read that Gov. Doyle and the state’s Roman Catholic bishops were arguing over stem-cell research, my first thought was, “Do we really need this kind of a carnival side show?”
My second thought was “This is exactly the kind of debate we ought to be having about important moral issues in our society.”
A: That question is harder to answer than you might expect, says Frank Myers, professor emeritus of ophthalmology at UW-Madison, since the experiments necessary to pinpoint the cause would be unethical. You can’t hit people in the head to see why they see stars.
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Jim Doyle broke with Wisconsin’s two most prominent Catholic bishops on Wednesday, bluntly telling them he would not rethink his strong support of embryonic stem cell research.
Madison and Milwaukee’s Catholic bishops are challenging Gov. Jim Doyle’s support for embryonic stem cell research.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the Milwaukee Archdiocese and Bishop Robert Morlino of the Madison Diocese wrote to Doyle that they had “grave concerns” with his policy direction and asked him to rethink the matter.
Why American College Students Hate Science
By BRENT STAPLES
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, opened for business in a former cow pasture not far from downtown just 40 years ago. Still in its infancy as universities go, U.M.B.C. is less well known than Maryland’s venerable flagship campus at College Park or the blue-blooded giant Johns Hopkins. But the upstart campus in the pasture is rocking the house when it comes to the increasingly critical mission of turning American college students into scientists.
The safety of Tasers, the electric pistols that are widely used by police, is under new scrutiny after a study by a Wisconsin scientist showed that shocks from the guns cause the hearts of healthy pigs to stop beating.
Two Catholic bishops are asking Gov. Jim Doyle to oppose the use of embryonic stem cells at a time when he is touting the research as a major reason voters should re-elect him in November.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=427255
Two Catholic bishops are asking Gov. Jim Doyle to oppose the use of embryonic stem cells at a time when he is touting the research as a major reason voters should re-elect him in November.
Madison: New research shows it is possible for a Taser to kill a pig. Therefore, in rare cases a taser could kill a human.
Stunning findings in a UW Research study show tasers can kill pigs.
Ordering a larger, low-priced, fast-food meal can lead to more financial expenses in hidden places, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have determined.
UW researcher: Taser might kill
It is possible that Tasers can cause a heart condition in pigs that will lead to their deaths if they are not treated with electric defibrillation, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor says.
A controversial research project conducted by a UW- Madison professor showed that Tasers can kill pigs.
John Webster, a professor of biomedical engineering at UW- Madison, recently discovered that it’s possible for a Taser to cause ventricular fibrillation in pigs – a heart condition that will lead to death if not treated with electric defibrillation.
MADISON, Wis. – A leading entomologist in Wisconsin says there could be a record number of cases of Lyme disease this year after a high of 1,441 were reported last season.
“It would not surprise me a bit to set a new record this year,” said Phil Pellitteri, a University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation announced that a jury has awarded it $1 million in its case against Xenon Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian biotech company that had licensed technology discovered at UW-Madison via WARF.
Madison, Wis. – A California taxpayer and consumer rights group believes the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent eBay ruling weakens the position of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation regarding its stem cell patent, but a spokesman for the Wisconsin foundation said its recent $1 million jury reward in the Xenon Pharmaceuticals case demonstrates its ability to defend patents.
Ase em Ansari, an assistant professor of biochemistry and genetics at UW-Madison, is one of two recipients of the 2006 Shaw Scientist Award.
Doctors say they were able to cure urinary incontinence in the vast majority of patients who were treated with injections of their own stem cells.
A “new” technology that has actually been around for 60 years is being used for applications from airline baggage checks to food products to consumer goods and even human beings.
Wisconsinites need to get as engaged as Californians about the importance of embryonic stem cell research to secure the state’s leadership role in this field, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist said Thursday.
Q: What enables ants to find the nearest picnic?
A: From one ant to dozens, it doesn’t seem to take the critters long to overrun your ham sandwich and ruin your picture-perfect picnic.
It starts with an individual ant, which has left the colony on a scouting mission, says Bob Jeanne, a UW-Madison professor of entomology.
It�s been nearly five years since President Bush�s executive order limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, and some politicians are calling louder than ever for a bill that would render the order obsolete.
Mentor Corp. has begun clinical testing of another botulinum product stemming from a licensing agreement with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
The Phase 1 safety and dose escalation study involves a botulinum toxin type A product focused on treating the pain associated with adult onset spasmodic torticollis/cervical dystonia.
Don’t take the “bird-flu capital” title the wrong way and run screaming for the nearest border.
Dottie Moseley already has lost her mother, sister and cousin to breast cancer. She often pondered how to keep it from striking her family again.
So when Moseley, 58, learned that the University of Wisconsin-Madison was a part of a large clinical trial on breast cancer prevention, she didn’t think twice about enrolling.
Madison, Wis. – In an impressive display of grant-winning ability, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has received twin grants from the National Science Foundation to address some of the world’s most complex issues, including climate change.
A UW-Madison dean said Thursday the school is investigating former genetics professor Elizabeth Goodwin, who resigned in February, on allegations of research misconduct involving federal grant money.
Bill Mellon, associate dean for research policy, said he hoped the investigation would be finished before fall. Results would then have to be shared with the federal Office of Research Integrity, which would decide whether to pursue any legal charges, he said.
The sudden departure of a University of Wisconsin-Madison geneticist has meant years of lost work for her graduate students, one of those students said today.
Q: Why don’t cars rust like they used to?
A: Rust used to be one of the great banes of car ownership. And because road salt accelerates rusting, the problem was especially severe in places like Wisconsin, where the roads are salted in winter. Many cars rusted to pieces long before they failed mechanically.
Treating young children for asthma helps them while they receive the medicine but doesn’t cure the problem, researchers have found.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to investigate activities by an associate professor of genetics who resigned in February.
Given the decades-long warnings about a looming world energy crisis – punctuated by the recent spike in crude oil prices – you’d assume the U.S. has been ramping up its research and development spending on energy.
Think again. Since 1980, energy research has fallen from 10 percent to 2 percent of total R&D spending.
Milwaukee, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has announced the funding of 45 top-ranked research proposals generated in an internal seed-funding competition.
….Rather than focusing on tax breaks or other incentives, regions looking to grow their economy need to be investing in education, basic services and those “quality of life” things that make a place attractive.
A first step for any community, however, is to realistically assess its strengths and weaknesses, says Barry Bluestone, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Planning at Northeastern University.
….Bluestone also cautioned against putting too much stock in the latest fad, specifically the biotechnology and nanotechnology bandwagon.
Bluestone also says states should create clusters of regional economic activity where people can meet, share ideas and foster a positive atmosphere. The University Research Park in Madison would seem to qualify on that account.
If the University of Wisconsin-Madison stands out as the state’s flagship research school, routinely able to lure venture capital and spin off start-up companies, UW-Milwaukee has long been the underfunded underdog.
It probably wasn’t until the threat of losing e-mail service through the popular, handheld BlackBerry devices sent a shudder through the nation that most people were even aware of a growing trend: small companies, often with only a handful of employees, taking on the tech giants in big-bucks patent lawsuits.
MADISON – Don’t suggest to UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago that research projects on his campus will get ahead by pilfering from programs at UW-Madison. He’ll probably laugh at you.
The dedication of the Chemistry Research Tower on the UW-Madison campus today and Saturday is a fitting tribute to former chancellor Irving Shain.
Shain joined the chemistry department at UW-Madison as an instructor in 1952. A love for teaching combined with an aptitude for administration led Shain to become chemistry department chairman, then vice-chancellor for academic affairs and finally chancellor from 1977-1986.
Q: Why do stars twinkle?
A. From the time we toddle, we are taught that stars twinkle. That phenomenon has nothing to do with stars and everything to do with one’s vantage point.
Madison, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have until June 1 to submit initial proposals as part of a grant program designed to stimulate collaborative research projects.
The first embryonic stem cells were isolated in mice in 1981. But it wasn’t until 1998 that researchers managed to derive stem cells from human embryos. That kicked into full gear an ethical debate that continues to this day. Here’s a look at key moments in the controversy so far.
Researchers from across the state have received their first formal invitation to submit ideas that will formulate collaborative biological and medical research at Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.
UW-Madison unveiled details of a competitive seed grant program Monday that will initially provide $3 million in funding for research at the $375 million facility expected to open in 2009.
“It is critical that these projects begin soon so that research is well under way when we are ready to move into this world-class facility,” said UW-Madison graduate school Dean Martin Cadwallader in a statement.
A month ago, Chancellor John Wiley announced a total of $100 million in donations toward the construction of an on-campus biomedical research complex. And now the University of Wisconsin is asking its scientists and researchers what they want to do with it.
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.
Published: May 2, 2006
Recent disclosures of fraudulent or flawed studies in medical and scientific journals have called into question as never before the merits of their peer-review system.
Organizers of the planned $375 million Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in Madison said Monday that they are looking for researchers from around the state to compete in a new seed grant program.
Leaner, meaner bacteria could provide safer and more efficient ways to make hard-to-manufacture biological products, including vaccines and DNA-based pharmaceuticals.
UW-Madison professor of psychology and psychiatry Richard Davidson has been named one of Time magazine�s most influential people of 2006.
According to a University statement, Davidson has devoted his career to understanding the human brain in regards to how it regulates emotion.
Jamie Peck recalls a moment in September when President Bush vowed to spend “whatever it takes” – as much as $200 billion – to reconstruct the ravaged Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.
But the University of Wisconsin-Madison professor notes that lately it appears Bush is backpedaling on that pledge. Peck says the president’s change of heart has the fingerprints of “neoliberal” think tanks.
Usually it�s the other way around. But 15 years ago, the Dalai Lama approached Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin scientist and professor, with a question.
MILWAUKEE – In what could be a boon to development of vaccines and targeted therapies, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in collaboration with a team of international researchers, has created a streamlined, hardy form of the bacteria E. coli by reducing its DNA to its bare essentials.
MANITOWOC ââ?¬â? Sitting in her wheelchair, Gail Winter listened closely Wednesday evening to Dr. James Thomson, world-renowned researcher in the field of embryonic and adult stem cells.
Compare the thinking and priorities of a university research professor and someone at an international financial firm, and they likely won’t be too similar.
This week at UW-Madison, however, representatives of academic, financial and business organizations from around the world connected in meetings and discussions about a computer program they all use. Users of the program from companies that included JP Morgan, Yahoo!, Micron Technologies and United Bank of Switzerland participated.
The woes associated with genetically modified organisms dominate “The Future of Food,” a 90-minute documentary to be shown at the UW next week.
It is a project of Deborah Koons Garcia, widow of the Grateful Dead’s lead singer, Jerry Garcia. She wants people to know the political, health, environmental and global consequences of gene splicing and other biotech triumphs.
Science students from West High School will be competing against students from all 50 states in May after winning the 2006 Wisconsin Science Olympiad state tournament last weekend at the UW Engineering Department.
La Follette High’s A team finished second and its B team was sixth, while Memorial High was seventh out of 46 teams.
