“It tends to be the court where the big battles get fought out,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center. “Without a kind of regularly functioning legislative branch and executive branch working together, the court is the venue where the hot items, big ticket items, are being decided.”
Category: UW Experts in the News
Long before this week, South Korea had a painful history with martial law
The country has faced a turbulent political history that saw authoritarian rule starting from its founding after gaining independence from Japanese colonialism all the way to the 1980s, according to Charles Kim, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
“This is a period in which there was a lot of political suppression, repression of the media, political violence against dissidents,” Kim said.
Texas could become a major producer of another source of renewable energy
Green hydrogen is forecast to meet global energy needs that will not be easily satisfied by battery, wind or solar power, Gregory Nemet, professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin’s Energy Institute, told ABC News in 2021. Batteries, for example, currently can take up a lot of space and also weigh a lot, making their use an issue for air travel and long-haul trucking. Hydrogen, by contrast, doesn’t include those challenges and also stores better long-term.
Ag Briefs: UW expert says federal officials expected to require H5N1 milk testing
Dr. Keith Poulsen from UW-Madison’s Diagnostic Laboratory told Brownfield Ag News that a nationwide bulk tank or milk silo milk testing requirement is likely to be enacted this month. Poulsen says the new federal order should have more specific guidance about how officials can effectively perform a national surveillance. He said the Colorado model is likely to be adopted nationwide.
Despite state restrictions, Wisconsinites are receiving abortions via telehealth
The data comes from states with so-called “shield laws,” said Jenny Higgins, director of the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These laws give some legal protections to clinicians who offer abortion care by telehealth to people living in states with abortion bans or telehealth restrictions, she said.
Report: Wisconsin farm, food industry grows slightly behind the rest of state’s economy
“The size of the pie is getting bigger,” said Steve Deller, a UW-Madison professor of agricultural and applied economics and co-author of the report. “Agriculture’s slice of that pie is also getting a little bit bigger, but it’s not growing at the same pace as the state’s economy is growing.”
Do pulsed microwaves cause brain injuries? UW-Madison researchers work to find out
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are launching the first comprehensive study into how pulsed microwaves might cause traumatic brain injuries.
I didn’t fully appreciate Milwaukee parks until I moved away. Neglect must end.
Written by Theresa Delgadillo, a professor of English and director of the Chican@ and Latin@ Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-editor of Latinx Talk.
Scientists confront a mystery: Why have U.S. bird flu cases been so mild?
The viruses circulating in cows could be less virulent than other versions of the virus, said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a flu virologist cross-appointed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo. But it’s impossible to prove that, given the animal studies don’t reflect it, he said.
Huckabee pick as Israeli ambassador reflects long evangelical alliance
If confirmed, Huckabee, a former Fox News host and Israel tour guide for Christian visitors, will be the first evangelical in the ambassador role. Evangelicals and other Christian Zionists — those who use Christian reasoning to argue for a Jewish state in some part of biblical Israel — could have only dreamed of this moment a half-century ago, said University of Wisconsin religious historian Daniel Hummel.
Supplementing income off the farm, Social media warning labels, Powwow music
We learn how workers in Wisconsin are looking to bolster family farm income via employment in surrounding communities. Then a pediatrics professor shares research on social media and youth. And two members from the Wisconsin band Bizhiki discuss their new album of Indigenous music.
How to avoid Black Friday sale scams: Red flags, tips for safe shopping
AI-powered schemes can also have the typical telltale signs of a scam, Allen Monette with the University of Wisconsin-Madison says. Things like something pressuring you to act immediately and unusual requests for sensitive information unexpectedly can tip you off that it is not real.
What is vertical oscillation and how can it affect running performance?
‘If you have a very low vertical oscillation, below 5cm, that can be very inefficient – and if you run with a lot of vertical oscillation, above 10-12cm, that can also be very inefficient,’ notes Bryan Heiderscheit, a professor in orthopaedics at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Wisconsin Innocence Project co-director discusses victories and next steps
Manuel Cucuta was released from prison on Monday, November 25th, 2024. The Wisconsin Innocence Project will be representing him as he seeks to fully overturn his conviction. Professor Christopher Lau is the co-director of the Innocence Project. He sat down to speak with WORT about the group’s recent successes and what comes after.
Breakthroughs in bioplastics may be coming
Despite recycling efforts, plastic accounts for 20% of the material in Wisconsin landfills and does not breakdown. But what if more of our plastic was biodegradable? Working on that is Erica Majumder, an assistant professor of bacteriology at UW-Madison, who joins us.
UW researchers hope to identify how the body processes different types of meth
Methamphetamine is typically associated with recreational drug use. But Heather Barkholtz, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, said the drug also has a place in medicine.
Wisconsin farmers push for Farm Bill to be passed
“Passing a farm bill or extending the current Farm Bill is really seen as a necessity,” Andrew Stevens, an assistant professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison said.
Cost of Thanksgiving dinner in Wisconsin is down 2% from last year
“Food prices are not where they were before the pandemic, and I don’t expect they ever will be,” Andrew Stevens, an assistant professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison said.
Explainer: What are bomb cyclones and how do they form?
A bomb cyclone’s winds can reach hurricane force – 74 miles (119 km) per hour – and stronger. These storms tend to form during winter and can spawn copious amounts of precipitation. They have life spans of about a week during which they grow to peak intensity over roughly four to five days and then dissipate over the last two, according to Jon Martin, a professor of meteorology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Disposable personal income rose at a faster pace in October than the month before
There are some factors that could limit spending next year: Menzie Chinn, a professor of economics and pulic affairs at the University of Wisconsin, said delinquency rates have been rising and some consumers don’t have a lot of savings to fall back on.
“Those have been largely depleted, particularly among those income groups that are, let’s say, at median or below median income,” he said.
What does Donald Trump mean for housing in Madison, and Wisconsin?
“Regardless of who got elected, we would have said that there’s these deep structural crises in the housing system. And there are some really thorny trade-offs involved,” said Kurt Paulsen, a professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And you cannot just cut your way to housing affordability.”
Trump won the popular vote, contrary to claims online
Barry C. Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained to us in a Nov. 25 email, “Trump has not won an outright majority of the popular vote; that would require surpassing the 50% threshold. He has won a large plurality, which means that he attracted more votes than each of his opponents, but he is just short of a true majority.”
What exactly is shoofly pie anyway?
“Shoofly pie is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch pastry,” said Mark Louden, a professor of Germanic linguistics and director of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It’s an “apt symbol of traditional Pennsylvania Dutch culture as it incorporates elements from Old World Europe but is a fundamentally New World phenomenon.”
Friday could be Camp Randall’s coldest game in 60 years. Experts give fans tips
“If you are protected and layered appropriately, you should be safe even in the temperatures that we’re expecting,” said Patrick Shahan, an assistant professor with the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an acute care surgeon. “You just have to be mindful of being too cold.”
UW mechanical engineer launches study of the brain and the “Havana Syndrome”
A team of University of Wisconsin researchers, led by Professor Christian Franck, have obtained a grant to investigate how pulsed microwave beams might affect the brain. Christian Franck is the Bjorn Borgen Professor and H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellow at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the director of the UW PANTHER lab, which studies brain trauma.
Eat avocado to lower cholesterol, put on antiperspirant before bed and 11 more tips to have a great week
Talking to yourself out loud can be a great way to problem-solve — especially for people who regularly misplace things, Gary Lupyan, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Time. For example, if you lost something in your home, saying what you’re looking for out loud (keys, remote, your favorite sweatshirt) can “keep its visual appearance active in your mind as you’re searching,” Lupyan explained, making it more likely for you to spot it.
Millions from tax refunds go to pay hidden fees, report finds
Sarah Halpern-Meekin, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Research on Poverty, agreed, cautioning that some taxpayers would wait longer for their refunds — or be unable to afford the up-front cost of tax preparation altogether — without these services.
“It’s easy to critique any products that are offered that incur costs or high interest rates, but we also need to ask what happens if those go away,” she said. “Is it better to pay a fee and then get to avoid eviction or avoid having your heat cut off? There are consequences for being credit-constrained.”
Ryan Borgwardt likely wouldn’t face significant jail time after staging death, experts say
Clinical associate professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School John Gross explained if Borgwardt returns home, he would likely be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for obstruction, but it’s not certain whether he could be charged with a Class I felony for insurance fraud.
How to survive a Thanksgiving dinner with relatives who disagree about politics
Co-authored by Amber Wichowsky, an associate professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs and holds the Leadership Wisconsin Endowed Chair for the Division of Extension at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Allison Keeley who is pursuing a master’s degree in international public affairs at the La Follette School.
What is raw milk? And why is everyone talking about it?
“The people that struggle with milk can drink raw milk,” she says. Her claim isn’t in line with a study by John Lucey, a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which found “no obvious reason why raw milk could assist with lactose intolerance.”
Lucy’s legacy
“The common conception is that we’re finding the grandmother [of humanity], and we’re never finding that,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “Culturally, these are our ancestors — they are our connection to the past.”
Wisconsin tees up high-stakes Supreme Court race with partisan control on the line
Howard Schweber, professor of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained that some of the issues worth keeping an eye on are abortion, elections, Act 10 — Walker-era legislation that curtailed collective bargaining rights for many public employees — redistricting and religious freedom.
How big was Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory? 8 charts explain
“Trump’s victory was solid and convincing,” said Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin political scientist. Still, “the 2024 elections were not a general endorsement of the Republican Party. Many Republicans down ballot did not perform as well as Trump.”
String theory is not dead
“Many of the unsolved problems in particle physics and cosmology are deeply intertwined,” write physicists Fernando Marchesano, Gary Shiu and Timo Weigand in the 2024 Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science. String theory may provide the path to solving those problems.
Trump’s second presidency will only accelerate America’s imperial decline
Written by Alfred McCoy, the J.R.W. Smail Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These disability doulas are helping people navigate life more comfortably
When I ask Sami Schalk, associate professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Black Disability Politics,” how disabled people should prepare for the next Trump term, she says, “The state is going to abandon disabled people more than ever. Informal networks of care and support are the only way we survive.”
RFK Jr. says he drinks raw milk. How safe is unpasteurized milk?
Drinking unpasteurized milk is “a really stupid, bad idea,” said John Lucey, a professor of food science and the director of the Center for Dairy Research at University of Wisconsin at Madison. “It’s almost like a doctor shouldn’t wash their hands before they go into an operating room.”
Huckabee as Trump’s pick for Israel ambassador is a win for Christian Zionism. Here’s why.
“These are the people that were loyal to Trump in the first administration, were loyal to him when he was out of power and are now going to be close to the center of the second administration,” said Daniel Hummel, a religious historian at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a leading expert on evangelical support for Israel. “I don’t know how they would be any closer — but I don’t see any daylight right now.”
Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens buried their dead differently, study suggests
“The data are limited, but this is an impressive survey,” John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who did not take part in this research, told Live Science. Notably, he said there appear to have been consistent burial practices that distinguished Neanderthal and early H. sapiens burials. This is surprising because all of these small, scattered populations wouldn’t be expected to share cultural practices over long stretches of space and time.
Nanoink and printing technologies could enable electronics repairs, production in space
The flight path to these experiments began when a research team led by Iowa State’s Shan Jiang, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, and Hantang Qin, formerly of Iowa State who’s now an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wondered if their ink and printer technologies would work in the zero gravity of space.
Christmas tree-killing insect in Michigan is bound for Wisconsin
An invasive insect that kills fir trees is threatening Michigan’s Christmas tree industry. And the woolly adelgids “are likely on their way to Wisconsin,” according to the Wisconsin DNR. Entomologist Phil Pellitteri joins us to talk about the tiny invasive insects.
Do abortion policy changes affect young women’s mental health?
“The survey data shows just how strongly people feel about abortion policies,” said corresponding author J. Michael Collins, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Fearing birth control bans, Wisconsin women begin to plan ahead
Jenny Higgins, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the scope of her work with CORE, the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity housed in the School of Medicine and Public Health, has not shifted as a result of Trump’s victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
However, “the landscape of contraceptive care in the state is likely to change drastically,” Higgins said.
Planet 10 times the size of Earth is one of the youngest ever found
“We try to extrapolate from these other worlds how quickly planet formation might have taken hold in the early solar system,” says Melinda Soares-Furtado at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
‘Government by the worst’: why people are calling Trump’s new sidekicks a ‘kakistocracy’
“Hayes’ term was absolutely being described as a kakistocracy,” said Kelly Wright, assistant professor of language sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (1880 was also a general election year in the UK, another country known for its contributions to the English language. That year, William Gladstone became prime minister for the second time; perhaps his opponents were among those giving the word a boost.)
All life on Earth today descended from a single cell. Meet LUCA.
“We tend to think that early life is somehow simpler, less sophisticated … but I don’t think there’s any reason to think that,” said Betül Kaçar, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison who wasn’t involved in the research. “A complex ecosystem, to me, sounds more realistic.”
Report finds Wisconsin agriculture revenue on the rise, up nearly 11 percent from 2017
An economic analysis shows Wisconsin’s agriculture industry is pulling in more revenue in recent years but employing fewer people.
The report, titled “The Contributions of Agriculture to the Wisconsin Economy,” is published every five years. The newest survey found the industry earned $116.3 billion in revenue in 2022, the latest data available. That is a 10.9 percent increase from 2017. However, the numbers are nuanced, Steve Deller and Jeff Hadachek, co-authors of the report out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”
China set to lose over 50 million people in population crisis
Demographer Yi Fuxian of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has previously cast doubt on dragon years, pointing out they have generally had a negligible effect on births in China in recent decades.
Holiday budgets by city (2024)
“For many consumers, overspending happens when they feel time crunched or make snap decisions in response to discounts or limited offers,” said Amber M. Epp, an associate professor of marketing at the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Consumers can save money in the traditional ways by making budgets and lists this time of year, but also by comparison shopping and seeking out discounts for items already on their lists rather than impulse buying when presented with sales.”
Best credit cards for November 2024
“The market’s best credit cards are often indicative of the health of the economy, because their use can give insights into consumer perceptions and acceptability of interest rates, consumer spending habits as well as consumer debt,” said Cynthia Jasper, a professor of Civil Society and Community Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In France, a family reckons with World War II Allies’ legacy of rape and murder
Mary Louise Roberts, professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was one of the first scholars to consult French as well as U.S. archives for her 2013 book, What Soldiers Do.
“Towards the end of the summer of 1944 there really was a problem with rape,” she says. “And the United States Army, at the highest levels of SHAEF, was concerned about it.” SHAEF was the acronym for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, commanded by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
What happens under water in winter?
When it comes to determining the role that lakes play in global carbon cycling, those estimates are often drawn from summer data. Just using that small subset of data creates errors in estimates of atmospheric interactions and other downstream effects, said Hilary Dugan, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Department of Limnology.
How Wisconsin lost control of the strange disease killing its deer
I drove south out of Madison, Wisconsin, along solitary rural roads until I arrived at a secluded home set amid scattered forest and open prairie. Waiting inside for me were two men: Michael Samuel, a retired professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Bryan Richards, the emerging-disease coordinator at the US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center.
Coca-Cola causes controversy with AI-made ad
Neeraj Arora, the chair of marketing research and education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the reason why the company faced backlash for this specific advertisement, and not for “Masterpiece” last year, could be because many consumers recognize Christmas as an integral part of the company’s brand, and AI technology acts as a disruption.
“Your holidays are a time of connection, time of community, time to connect with family, and that’s sort of a big part of what the holidays are about,” Arora said. “But then you throw AI into the mix that is not a fit, that is not a fit with holiday timing, but also, to some degree, also Coke, what the brand means to people.”
Germany: Bavarian pterosaur fossil gives evolutionary clues
Co-author Adam Fitch of the University of Wisconsin at Madison said the “Skiphosoura represents an important new way to study the evolutionary relationships between pterosaurs and how this lineage evolved and changed.”
Is raw milk safe? Science has a clear answer
Boiling is an even more aggressive form of heating than pasteurization, which was developed to kill pathogens while minimizing changes to milk’s flavor and composition, says John Lucey, a food science professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and director of the university’s Center for Dairy Research. “Boiling is a very substantial heat treatment whereas pasteurization is much gentler,” he notes.
Repeatedly doing the same activity can lead to muscle imbalance — and pain
Muscle imbalance occurs when physical activity isn’t varied. Our PT experts Lori Thein Brody and Jill Thein-Nissenbaum are here to talk about the symptoms and treatments for muscle imbalance.
Learn more about ‘American Indians and the American Dream’ with this ‘University Place’ Q&A and episode
In this episode of University Place Presents, host Norman Gilliland and his guest Kasey Keeler, assistant professor of American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discuss the topic, American Indians and the American Dream, which she explores in her book of the same title.
Milwaukee, Madison first responders using whole blood in trauma response
Providers on air ambulances are usually able to give blood components like red blood cells and plasma. But Dr. Ryan Newberry, assistant professor of emergency medicine at UW Health, said research shows that someone who is bleeding to death needs all of the components in blood.
“(Whole blood) can help temporize or slow bleeding, especially if we can give it in that first hour after your injury,” said Newberry, who is also assistant medical director of UW Health’s Med Flight. “That allows us to have a little more time to get you from wherever that injury occurred, the side of the road, a back field, a community emergency department, and get you to a trauma center.”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson to back Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for US health secretary
Patrick Remington, the former dean of public health at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s hard to tell in advance how Kennedy would lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Time will tell how his personal views over the past several years will translate into actions as secretary,” he said. “I think it’s important to understand sometimes people’s views change when their roles and responsibilities change.”