As the Earth’s rotation gradually winds down, the moon moves further away. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Stephen Meyers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Alberto Malinverno at Columbia University in New York calculate that over the past 1.4bn years the moon has drifted about 44,000km from Earth to a distance of 384,400km
Category: Research
Hurricanes Aren’t Moving as Fast as They Used to, and That’s Bad
James Kossin, a scientist at NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information in Madison, Wisconsin, says Harvey’s slow pace may be symptomatic of a troubling larger trend. His new paper, published today in Nature, provides evidence showing that the speed at which hurricanes move across the planet, a phenomenon known as translation speed, is slowing.
Innovative UW researchers win Shaw science awards
Two researchers at UW-Madison have been selected as recipients of the 2018 Shaw Scientist Awards, each getting $200,000 in seed funding to continue their innovative research work.
Hurricanes and typhoons are slowing down, which means more time to do damage
A new study by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist based at UW-Madison has found that over the past seven decades, tropical cyclones have slowed down near coastlines around the world.
Revealed: Why days on Earth are getting longer
As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out, explained Professor Stephen Meyers, professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Think days are short now? They once lasted just 18 hours
“As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out,” explained Professor Stephen Meyers, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
No lie-in this morning? Thank the Moon’s gravitational pull
“As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out,” said Stephen Meyers, co-author of the study and a geoscience professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Falling short on time? Earth might have 25 hours in a day in the future
The study author of geoscience Stephen Meyers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison explained the relation between Earth’s spin and the location of Moon as that of a spinning figure skater and his arms. The way skater slows down his spinning speed by stretching his arms out, the spinning speed of Earth is slowing down as the moon is distancing itself from the planet.
The Moon is causing days on Earth to get longer
Using a new statistical method called astrochronology, astronomers peered into Earth’s deep geologic past and reconstructed the planet’s history. This work revealed that, just 1.4 billion years ago, the moon was significantly closer to Earth, which made the planet spin faster. As a result, a day on Earth lasted just over 18 hours back then, according to a statement from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How the Moon may one day give us 25-hour days
forgets memory cardResearchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have worked out that around 1.4 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted 18 hours. “This is at least in part because the Moon was closer and changed the way the Earth spun around its axis,” the Daily Mirror reports.
Sports injury expert spearheads ‘innovative’ UW course on athlete monitoring tech
An athletic injury researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is teaching an undergraduate summer course that he says is the first of its kind in the country: An overview of athlete monitoring technology.
UW study looks at obesity rates in different zip codes
Where you live in Wisconsin affects how much you weight, according to a new UW study. Dr. Vincent Cryns, an endocrinologist with the UW, led the study and talks about the results.
New UW Obesity Estimate Shows State Is Significantly Heavier Than Previously Thought
Past estimates have put the state’s obesity level at nearly 31 percent, but a new study associated with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health puts obesity 10 percentage points higher. And researchers have zeroed in on what parts of the state are the heaviest.
Map-making on a budget
Shanan Peters, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the principal investigator on the Macrostrat project, which is an online encyclopaedic atlas for geological data. Although most of the Macrostrat mapping data are publicly available, importing them required “a fair bit of time”, Peters says.
Days on Earth will become longer as the Moon moves further away from us
Study author Prof Stephen Meyers, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: “One of our ambitions was to use astrochronology to tell time in the most distant past, to develop very ancient geological time scales.
Days are longer than they used to be due to moon moving away from earth, study finds
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that 1.4 billion years ago the moon orbited much closer to the planet, altering the way it spins on its axis.The study also said the moon will continue to move away from Earth, making our days even longer.
The Moon Is Making Every Day on Earth Longer Than the Last, Study Shows
The new study, co-authored by Stephen Meyers, Ph.D., a professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Alberto Malinverno, Ph.D., a research professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, isn’t just about the moon. The researchers initially set out to find a way to accurately study the many phases that our planet has undergone since its beginning, both in terms of its geology and its place in the solar system.
Wish you had more time in the day? A day on Earth could soon last 25 HOURS – and it’s thanks to the moon
Study author Professor of geoscience Stephen Meyers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: “As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out.”
Days Are Longer Now Because the Moon Moves Away from Earth (Study)
Once upon a time, when the moon was closer to our planet, a day only had 18 hours. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, about 1.4 billion years ago, the moon was orbiting Earth a lot closer than it is now, altering the way it spins on its axis.
The days are getting longer – but very, very slowly
If the day never seems long enough to get everything done, be grateful at least that times have changed. According to fresh calculations, a day on Earth was a full five hours and fifteen minutes shorter a billion or so years ago, well before complex life spread around the planet.
Moon to give us longer days
Study author Professor of geoscience Stephen Meyers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: “As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out.”
Earth’s Days Are Getting Longer—Thanks to the Moon
More than a billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted just 18 hours, a new study reports. The distance from our planet to the moon, scientists say, is one major reason for the extra six hours we have today.
An unintended consequence of the GOP tax law: bigger pensions for some
Because of the new tax law, many companies got more serious about saving for retirement last year. According to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the GOP tax bill likely led some companies to increase their defined-benefit pension contributions in 2017.
Earth will get longer 25 hour days as the moon DRIFTS from Earth
The moon is gradually drifting away from planet Earth in space which is making the 24 hour day just that little bit longer, the new study has astonishingly revealed.
New app helps researchers track ticks
MADISON, Wis. – Researchers in the UW Department of Entomology have developed an application to help users report and identify tick bites.
Rural residents more likely to be obese; Madison neighborhood deemed least obese
UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Obesity Prevention Initiative found that overall, 41.2 percent of adults and 14.8 percent of children were obese in 2015-16.
There’s an “Inverse Piano” in Your Head
In that time Hudspeth, head of the Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience at The Rockefeller University, has dramatically advanced scientists’ understanding of how the ear and brain work together to process sound. Last week his decades of groundbreaking research were recognized by the Norwegian Academy of Science, which awarded him the million-dollar Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. Hudspeth shared the prize with two other hearing researchers: Robert Fettiplace from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Christine Petit from the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Million-dollar Kavli prize recognizes scientist scooped on CRISPR
The neuroscience award went to geneticist Christine Petit of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and neuroscientists Robert Fettiplace at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and James Hudspeth at the Rockefeller University in New York City, “for their pioneering work on the molecular and neural mechanisms of hearing”. The researchers independently investigated the role of hair cells in the inner ear. These cells, which are covered in microscopic hair-like projections, detect sound signals and transmit them to the brain5.
Studies of Space, Hearing and DNA Attract $1 Million Awards
Noted: Three researchers share the neuroscience prize for studying how we hear: A. James Hudspeth of the Rockefeller University in New York, Robert Fettiplace of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Christine Petit of the College of France and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. They provided insights into how cells of the inner ear transform sound into electrical signals the brain can interpret.
Studies of space, hearing and DNA attract $1 million awards
Three researchers share the neuroscience prize for studying how we hear: A. James Hudspeth of the Rockefeller University in New York, Robert Fettiplace of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Christine Petit of the College of France and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. They provided insights into how cells of the inner ear transform sound into electrical signals the brain can interpret.
CRISPR Gene-Editing Pioneers Win Kavli Prize for Nanoscience
This year’s Kavli Prize for neuroscience was shared by James Hudspeth of the Rockefeller University, Robert Fettiplace of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Christine Petit of the Pasteur Institute in France. Hudspeth and Fettiplace made independent, complementary discoveries about how our sense of hearing arises from the conversion of vibrations of the tiny hair cells in the inner ear into nerve signals.
Million-dollar Kavli prize recognizes scientist scooped on CRISPR
The neuroscience award went to geneticist Christine Petit of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and neuroscientists Robert Fettiplace at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and James Hudspeth at the Rockefeller University in New York City, “for their pioneering work on the molecular and neural mechanisms of hearing”.
Wild Wisconsin yeast finds way into bread, beer and classroom
Along the way, the yeast is forging partnerships between the UW–Madison Departments of Genetics and Food Science, the Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona, and Clasen’s European Bakery in Middleton.
Is Mental Illness Hereditary?
In 2013, a study funded by the National Institute of Health found that five mental disorders — autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia — share genetic roots. And in 2015, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison studied a family of rhesus monkeys and concluded the risk of developing anxiety is passed from parents to their children.
New Study Connects Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder To Higher Risk Of Other Health Issues
New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center found that adults living with autism spectrum disorder may face a higher risk of developing certain health issues — like cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive problems — than the rest of the population.
Further proof that triclosan is bad for us: the common ingredient in toothpaste and soaps has been linked with colon cancer and gut inflammation
Our team and researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison used germ-free mice—which have absolutely no bacteria in their gut—and found that feeding triclosan to these animals had no effect. This finding suggests that the harmful effects of triclosan are due to changes in the microbiome.
Estonia Is About To Roll Out Free Public Transport Across The Whole Country
Quoted: “It makes sense to have free public transport paid for by taxation, as it’s beneficial for the whole of society, not only those who use public transportation,” says João Peschanski, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has examined free public transit systems around the world.
How to Reduce Brain Injures
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher is examining ways to improve athletes’ reporting of brain injuries — a key to preventing long-term neurological damage.
Morgridge Institute launches virology center
The Morgridge Institute for Research at UW-Madison has created a center to expand research on viruses and develop drugs or vaccines that target families of viruses.
Locking the lab: Globalization raises concerns about research data security on campus
For the University of Wisconsin, with more than $1 billion annually in research revenue, steeped in a tradition of “sifting and winnowing” for the truth and dedicated to broadcasting its findings throughout the state and beyond, the challenge is to strike a balance between academic freedom and the realities of a connected but politically fractious world.
UW-Madison launches new virology center
UW-Madison is getting a new virology center to help scientists fight deadly, real-world viruses.
Morgridge Institute launches Rowe Center for Research in Virology
Officials with the Morgridge Institute for Research announced Tuesday that it will be launching the John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Center for Research in Virology.
Overnight Finance: Trump move raises trade tensions with China
More fallout from the tax cut package: Companies substantially increased their contributions to defined-benefit pension plans in 2017, likely because of the new tax law that President Trump signed in December, according to a new paper from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Discovery Of CWD Prions In Soil Adds Piece To Deer Disease Puzzle
In a paper published in the journal PLOS One, University of Wisconsin-Madison soil sciences professor Joel Pedersen and collaborators determined that soil and water can serve as reservoirs for the deadly prions.
University of Wisconsin researchers study bats, mosquitoes
A recently published study by University of Wisconsin researchers found the bats they studied ate 17 different types of mosquitoes, including nine that are potential carriers of the West Nile Virus.
Resilience is the new happiness
For adults, developing resilience might make all the difference between keeping a job or burning out. A small May 2018 study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds, published in Frontiers for Psychology, found that as little as two weeks of “compassion meditation” made subjects more resilient in the face of human suffering, meaning they were able to look at struggle non-judgmentally and respond with compassion rather than becoming distraught themselves.
University of Wisconsin researchers study bats, mosquitoes
A recently published study by University of Wisconsin researchers found the bats they studied ate 17 different types of mosquitoes, including nine that are potential carriers of the West Nile Virus.
Jim Berbee is new WARF board chairman
Jim Berbee — an entrepreneur, physician and philanthropist — is the new chairman of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Diversity, politics likely topics at publishing convention
Dohnielle Clayton, an author and COO of the grassroots #weneeddiversebooks, will appear on two panels this week, including one hosted by her organization. She said there has been progress in the industry, but cited a recent study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center School of Education, based in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, showing that children’s stories remain predominantly by and about whites.
How to be happy without earning more
Hsee says that research with University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Bowen Ruan and Zoe Y. Lu reveals a nuance in the relationship between curiosity and happiness.
Neglected donkey gets artificial leg after rare amputation at UW
At UW-Madison, a veterinarian amputated part of the animal’s leg and a prosthetist fit him with an artificial limb. Now the gray-and-black creature who spent most of his days lying down in pain is standing, walking and developing some equine attitude.
First Person: Susan Coppersmith
Researchers are constantly developing ways to decrease the size of transistors in order to increase the power and portability of computers, phones, and other electronic devices. As engineers approach the theoretical limits of size in traditional silicon transistors, some have turned their attention to quantum computing. Developments in this area can unlock powerful computing capabilities and expand our understanding of physics. Susan Coppersmith, the Robert E. Fassnacht and Vilas Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, is at the forefront of these developments. She spoke about her research with American Scientist editor-in-chief Fenella Saunders. A video of the full discussion is available here.
Island’s sharp rise in Lyme prompts researchers to launch app to track ticks
Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Wisconsin Madison and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are leading the efforts of the app and the study — which will launch on Staten Island over Memorial Day weekend.
Wanted: Utah’s best thinking about how to make the American dream reality for more
In addition to the U., Ohio State University, Arizona State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison have been selected as anchor institutions for the challenge.
Hidden health hazards of climate change
Climate change is a health hazard. Air pollution and changing weather patterns give rise to heat-related illnesses, such as asthma and allergic disorders. According to the Centers for Disease Control, insect-borne diseases from ticks and mosquitoes have tripled in the United States in recent years, and warmer weather is largely to blame. Interviewed: Jonathan Patz, director, Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW study: Bats really do eat a lot of mosquitoes
A common assumption held by many was bats eat a ton of mosquitoes. The assumption has now been proven by UW-Madison researchers.
Those Cryptic Clouds Of Venus Could Contain Alien Life
Primitive life might linger miles above, in murky Venusian clouds that drift through an orange sky. “A colony of microorganisms could survive and evolve in those clouds,” says Sanjay Limaye, senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Bats really do eat a lot of mosquitoes, UW study shows
A common assumption held by many was bats eat a ton of mosquitoes. The assumption has now been proven by UW-Madison researchers.
UW-Madison soybean checkoff funded collaborative international research and outreach
This collaborative effort includes researchers here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Researchers at Iowa State University, including Dr. Daren Mueller.
The Future of Sports: A New Wearable Designed to Measure Human Movement
However, injuries are all too common in high-intensity interval training environments. This is why engineers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW-Madison) recently designed a wearable that can directly identify muscle strain to help mitigate recurring injuries.