An onslaught of bug-borne disease, especially in the Midwest, has led to the creation of a new federal research center to be headed by two UW-Madison scientists.
Category: Research
UW scientists to head up new Midwest center on tick- and mosquito-borne diseases
A consortium of Midwestern universities and health officials led by UW scientists has won $10 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight the spread of tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses.
UW-Madison student team to compete at Hyperloop competition
After more than a year of work, a team of UW-Madison students is ready to test its futuristic high-speed transport vehicle on SpaceX’s Hyperloop test track in California.
UW-Madison team key in developing weather satellite
The first images were stunning, like switching from black-and-white to a color high-definition television.
Sport specialization increases injury risk for high school athletes, study finds
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin measured the rate of specialization — meaning an athlete significantly sacrificed time with friends or family or participation in other sports — among 1,544 athletes in Wisconsin and tracked lower-extremity injuries. The study found athletes who specialized suffered those injuries “at significantly higher rates” than those who do not.
UW-Madison Researchers Worry About Innovation In Wake Of EPA Grant Freeze
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are concerned about the future of scientific innovation in the wake of a freeze on grants and contracts funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Trump administration tells EPA to halt new grants, contracts
Noted: A team of 25 researchers from seven labs across the UW-Madison campus are two years into a four-year, $6 million EPA grant — the largest EPA grant currently on campus. The grant helps fund development of models of adult human tissue that are then exposed to environmental toxins. The National Institutes for Health and National Science Foundation also are funding sources for this research.
Feds open door for University of Wisconsin researchers to test driverless cars
Madison streets, state highways and the campuses of UW-Madison and Epic Systems could soon be laboratories for driverless cars, after federal regulators gave a team of UW researchers approval to test the emerging technology at sites around Wisconsin.
Driverless vehicles could soon be seen on streets near you
UW-Madison is now one of ten locations chosen by the U.S. Department of Transportation at a testing site for the autonomous vehicles. The research and tests will attempt to make the self-driving cars safer for public use.
EPA grant freeze could ‘pull rug out from under’ UW-Madison research
The Trump administration has placed a temporary suspension on all new Environmental Protection Agency business, which bars staff from awarding new grants and contract. The move impacts five grants previously awarded to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
UW-Madison chosen by U.S DOT to test automated vehicles
Driverless cars are making their way to Madison. The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected the University of Wisconsin-Madison as one of 10 locations in the country to test automated technology.
UW energy seminar highlights need for multifaceted approach to climate goals
University of Wisconsin climate policy experts held their first seminar on formulating effective policy Monday, even as the incoming president has signaled disinterest in combating the issue.
Taking Mindfulness to the Streets
Noted: Enter the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Led by Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist Time named one of the world’s most influential people in 2006, the center recently began shifting its emphasis from pure research to applied science, testing its findings about neuroplasticity, mind-body medicine, and the mental-health benefits of mindfulness outside the laboratory.
Study finds cutting calories may help monkeys live longer
A new report based on work from two separate research teams adds to the evidence that cutting back on calories helps rhesus monkeys live healthier and longer lives. Beyond this, the research could lead to a greater understanding of factors that could improve human longevity down the line.
Cutting calories could reduce your risk of disease by 40%
Cutting your calorie intake by a third could reduce your risk of heart disease and dementia by up to 40 percent, a new study claims.
Trump Asks Francis Collins to Remain NIH Director, at Least for Now
The National Institutes of Health released a statement saying the longtime head of the agency “has been held over by the Trump administration.” But it was unclear whether that status was temporary or permanent.
UW professor shines for his work with stars
Some reach for the stars. Others, like University of Wisconsin professor James Lawler, devise ways to measure their chemical elements.
UW study uses video games to help smokers quit
A study being conducted by the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is looking into whether video games on a smart phone can help smokers quit.
UW study uses video games to help smokers quit
A study being conducted by the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is looking into whether video games on a smart phone can help smokers quit.
JangoBio joins Madison’s growing stem cell industry
JangoBio, a University of Wisconsin-connected biotech that announced its launch at the end of 2016, is refining a stem cell-based solution for restoring the flow of hormones in aging patients.
Monkeys that eat less live longer after all, University of Wisconsin study finds
Monkeys that eat less than normal live longer and are healthier than other monkeys, meaning the same is likely true for humans, according to a new study by scientists at UW-Madison and the National Institute on Aging.
Monkeys on diets are healthier, but their longevity is still up for debate
Putting monkeys on a diet delays the health problems of old age, new science says. But whether it makes them live longer is still open for debate. These findings in our close evolutionary relatives could help us better understand our own aging process — and how to slow it down. What’s more, these latest conclusions begin to resolve a scientific debate that has been unfolding (amicably, the scientists say) over the past three decades.
How Living Near The Starvation Point Can Extend Lifespan
Depriving ourselves of food to the point of near-starvation doesn’t sound very appealing, but it could prolong our lives and prevent the onset of age-related diseases. A combined analysis of two long-running studies shows that caloric restriction does indeed work in monkeys, hinting at its potential to work in humans. More research is needed before we can be sure this translates to humans, so you should probably avoid any drastic dietary measures for now.
Monkeys that eat less live longer after all, University of Wisconsin study finds
Monkeys that eat less than normal live longer and are healthier than other monkeys, meaning the same is likely true for humans, according to a new study by scientists at UW-Madison and the National Institute on Aging.
Wisconsin-Madison students hope to shape future of transportation
Later this month, the brainchild of a team of UW-Madison students will be loaded into a trailer and driven across country to a site south of Los Angeles, home to the headquarters of tech titan Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
New research initiative on microbiomes
With a new research initiative, UW-Madison hopes to garner new research tackling the microbiome and its effects on everyday life.
Remains From 800-Year-Old “Trojan Woman” Record Early Maternal Infection
In 2013, archeologists discovered the body of a 13th century farmwoman in a graveyard outside the former city of Troy in western Turkey. She sported strawberry-sized calcified nodules below her ribs, which they assumed were a sign of tuberculosis, a common disease for people of her era. But it turns out, they were wrong.
Long Island City warehouse turned into haven for cats with flu virus
A Long Island City warehouse has been transformed into a safe haven for more than 500 cats who may have been exposed to an unusual flu virus. “We came to the decision that it is in the best interest of the cats to move them all to a quarantine facility while we clean the buildings.” She contacted experts at the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. They determined the virus was a rare strain of avian flu — the first time it had ever spread to domestic cats.
Rare Evidence of Pregnancy-Related Death Found at Ancient Troy
Death during pregnancy or childbirth would have been common in the ancient world, but these stories are often invisible in the archaeological record. However, in a new study of ancient DNA, researchers reported evidence of a woman who died of a pregnancy complication — specifically, a fatal bacterial infection — 800 years ago at Troy.
The Forest Products Laboratory is a federally funded lab conducting experiments on all things wooden.
Who would you call if you had a wood-related question? The Forest Products Laboratory, of course. But, did you even know of its existence?
Pregnancy complication took the life of this woman from Ancient Troy
Death during pregnancy or childbirth would have been common in the ancient world, but these stories are often invisible in the archaeological record. However, in a new study of ancient DNA, researchers reported evidence of a woman who died of a pregnancy complication — specifically, a fatal bacterial infection — 800 years ago at Troy.
Hazmat Suits and 500 Shelter Cats: Rare Flu Forces New York Quarantine
Noted: “Any time influenza viruses start to behave in an unusual way, there’s a concern about what might happen,” said Aleisha Swartz, a doctor on loan from the University of Wisconsin veterinary school’s shelter medicine program, which is managing medical care at the quarantine center. “There’s this virus that popped up, and if we didn’t respond, it could have become widespread in cats all over the place.”
Bones unearthed near ancient city of Troy yield clues of deadly infection
The ancient skeleton of a woman who lived near the storied city of Troy has given up the secrets of what killed her. Researchers unearthed the Byzantine bones and discovered both that she was pregnant and that a bacterial infection probably caused her death.
Bacterial DNA in 13th-century Troy bones provides snapshot of maternal infection
It’s not the legendary Troy of Agamemnon and Paris, but the site of the ancient city is still giving up secrets to disease detectives who study the evolution of bacteria and other microbes that continue to cause illness in humans today.
Genome of Deadly 800 Year Old Infection Found in Byzantine Skeleton
A skeleton from the outskirts of what was once the ancient city of Troy, has yielded the genome of an 800 year old mystery infection.
UW-Madison faculty challenge DNR climate change revisions
A group of UW-Madison professors criticized the state Department of Natural Resources on Monday for scrubbing its website of language that stated human activity is causing climate change, accusing the agency of ignoring facts and violating the public trust.
State’s revised climate change statement “simply incorrect,” say UW scientists
Prominent scientists at UW-Madison say that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ revised statement on climate change is “simply incorrect.”
UW researcher unlocks story of 800-year-old skeleton
As archaeologists excavating a cemetery near Troy, the fabled city from Homer’s Iliad, carefully removed the skeleton of a woman buried eight centuries ago, they noticed two chalk-like strawberry-sized nodules near her ribs.
UW faculty challenge DNR climate change revisions
A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison professors criticized the state Department of Natural Resources on Monday for scrubbing its website of language that stated human activity is causing climate change, accusing the agency of ignoring facts and violating the public trust.
Climate Change Could Trigger Collapse of Major Ocean Current
In the 2004 disaster film “The Day After Tomorrow,” global warming leads to the failure of an enormous current in the Atlantic Ocean, triggering catastrophic natural disasters and establishing freezing conditions in North America and Europe over a matter of weeks.
Money from “The Ride” to benefit cancer research in Madison
Last summer, more than 800 bicyclists took on The Ride. The event raised more than 150 thousand dollars for cancer research and this week that money will be put to use on the research initiatives of 6 special recipients.
Wisconsin’s climate may need to adapt to Donald Trump
Quoted: “It seems like climate science is going to be targeted,” said Michael Notaro, associate director of the university’s Center for Climatic Research, which receives about 90 percent of its roughly $3 million budget from federal sources. “We are very vulnerable, and from our standpoint we see climate change research as something very critical that has big impacts on the state and the globe.”
UW-Stout has a research buzz
A UW-Stout biology professor and his students may have made an important discovery in the effort to determine why honey bee hives are dying out during the winters in the Upper Midwest.
U.S. Scientists Fear New Restrictions on Fetal-Tissue Research
The US government should restrict or eliminate support for research with human fetal tissue obtained from abortions because it is of little use to medicine, a special panel of the US House of Representatives said on January 3.
Conditions that form more hurricanes also protect U.S., study finds
When climatic conditions favor a lot of hurricane activity, they also create a buffer zone that weakens the storms as they approach the coastal United States.“It’s an incredibly lucky phenomenon,” said James Kossin, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the author of the study, published Wednesday in Nature, which looked at hurricane data from 1947 to 2015. Kossin is based at UW–Madison, which is not mentioned in the story.
Hugh Iltis was noted UW botanist
A journey with noted University of Wisconsin-Madison botanist Hugh Iltis usually took much longer than normal because he frequently pulled the car over to show passengers a plant he noticed on the side of the road.
More hurricanes does not mean more intense East coast storms, study finds
A high rate of hurricane activity far out in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean doesn’t necessarily translate into a high number of big, powerful storms that could ravage the East coast. That’s one of the key findings of new research conducted by James Kossin, a federal atmospheric research scientist based at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Scientists say the global ocean circulation may be more vulnerable to shutdown than we thought
Intense future climate change could have a far different impact on the world than current models predict, suggests a thought-provoking new study just out in the journal Science Advances. If atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations were to double in the future, it finds, a major ocean current — one that helps regulate climate and weather patterns all over the world — could collapse. And that could paint a very different picture of the future than what we’ve assumed so far.
Virtual canaries
Imagine an app on your phone that can sense whether there is carbon monoxide in a room. If the display doesn’t change, you’re safe. But if the screen changes, “maybe it’s time to get out of the room,” says Manos Mavrikakis.
Bright Ideas 2017: Publicize and fund climate research
UW-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences Galen McKinley: Earth and environmental science informs society about the life support systems upon which we all depend. To ensure future funding, scientists need to show the public how our work contributes to everyone’s health and well-being.
Madison’s labs of promise seek renewable energy sources
Renewable energy made from the act of walking on a special nanotech wood floor. A “super yeast” that does a lot more than make bread dough rise. A battery that’s charged by the energy from the sun.
UW-Madison Researchers Study Plant Aging To Improve Yields
People enjoy watching leaves change from green to gold every fall. But researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are hoping to discover how plants know to make these seasonal changes.
New program offering Madison heroin addicts treatment over jail on track for spring start
The money from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Smart Policing Initiative will pay for a community-wide program in Madison, involving not just police but treatment providers, UW-Madison researchers — to measure and analyze the program’s effectiveness — public health officials, Dane County Human Services, the nonprofit organization Safe Communities Madison-Dane County and other partners. The grant also will buy about $21,000 worth of the overdose antidote Narcan, now provided to police by pharmaceutical company donations.
This Penis Implant Gives You a Boner When You Heat It Up
For years, men suffering from erectile dysfunction were told to reach for the little blue pill. But if that fails, what’s left? An inventive application of elastic “memory metal” is being used to create a penile implant to help men regain control of their bodies. 2016: shitty year for everyone else, actually not a bad year for dicks.
Video shows penis implant get erect when dropped in a warm bath
Now, urologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have devised a potentially groundbreaking implant that could become erect on demand – simply by heating it up.
Heat-activated penis implant could help men with erectile dysfunction perform in the bedroom
Now scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have come up with a concept for a heat-activated penis implant, which could enable men with ED to perform in the bedroom.
Study shows possible way to head off algal blooms
There may be a way to prevent harmful blooms of algae in some lakes or reservoirs, according to a new study.Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology and scientists from three other universities gradually spread phosphorus and nitrogen in a small lake in Michigan.
UW-Madison urologist advances penile implant research
The research, called “novel” in a medical journal and a “bionic penis” in British tabloids, is being conducted by UW-Madison assistant professor Brian Le. It focuses on a nickel-titanium alloy, a “memory metal,” that is used to create a scaffold, an “exo-skeleton,” activated by heat, according to an article in the current edition of the journal Urology.
UW’s bionic penis, that springs to life when heated, could solve E.D. for many
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher is getting plenty of attention for an implant that has been dubbed the “bionic penis.”
UW-Madison Survey: Independents Less Likely Than Democrats Or Republicans To Vote For Women
A University of Wisconsin-Madison survey found Independent voters are less likely than Democrats or Republicans to vote for a female candidate.