Category: UW Experts in the News

A. ?For the most part, Neanderthal genes are still with us,? said UW-Madison anthropologist John Hawks. ?If you look across enough people, much of the Neanderthal genome is represented in one person or another.?

A: By Sunday, Dec. 9, Milwaukee had gone 280 consecutive days without measurable snowfall (defined as 0.1 inches or more of snow). That set the all-time record long streak for no snow in Milwaukee?s weather history. By the time you read this article, the streak will have continued into its 288th day ? an amazing way to approach the end of a truly unusual, and in many ways, unsettling year of weather in our state.

Of all the science behind astronomical events, I think the explanation for meteor showers is my favorite because it is so revealing of the dramatic goings-on in all of that inky space above us. And, despite the solid nature of the nuts-and-bolts science, it is an explanation not without whimsy….Now NASA, according to UW-Madison astronomer Jim Lattis, has announced a new meteor shower that coincides with the Geminids. The source of the new shower is Comet Wirtanen.

A: On Dec. 3 the high temperature of 65 degrees F was the all-time highest December temperature ever recorded in Madison. Among the interesting aspects of this record high was the fact that the entire day was cloudy so local sunshine had no role in achieving this record. This prompts an interesting question ? what processes can contribute to changing the temperature at a location? The answer is that there are basically two. Everyone knows that on a sunny, windless day, the fact that the sun is out always contributes to warming the air temperature. At night, in the absence of sunshine, the air cools. These changes are a result of radiative transfer, one of the two mechanisms.

Q: NASA?s Curiosity rover was rumored to have found something exciting in Martian soil samples. If there really is ? or was ? life on Mars, what kind of life forms are we talking about?

A: Despite fanciful early descriptions of elaborate “canals” crisscrossing the Martian surface, exhaustive imaging of the Red Planet has revealed no signs of any advanced civilization. Instead, any extraterrestrial life is most likely to be microbial, said UW?Madison geoscientist Clark Johnson.

The five faculty members from the University of Wisconsin selected to be fellows of the American Physical Society were unveiled yesterday, highlighting diversity in scientific excellence and the importance of collaborative opportunities.

Five University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers were named fellows in the American Physical Society Wednesday in recognition of significant research contributions using physics in science and technology.

A: Rescue or salvage archaeology, according to UW-Madison anthropology Professor Sissel Schroeder, is undertaken under two major circumstances: ?The first is when an archaeological site has already been inadvertently damaged through construction, mining, quarrying, or other forms of ground disturbance,? she explained. ?The second is when some kind of construction or other form of disturbance is planned, including proposed dams that will cover sites with water.?

A: Since we live in a country with a famous Tornado Alley right in its center, it is easy to forget that severe weather can occur, though with substantially less frequency, in other parts of the world.A recent example of this is the flooding in Venice, Italy in early November and the strong tornado that roared through Teranto, Italy on Nov. 28.

Five University of Wisconsin-Madison professors were named as fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science Thursday. UW-Madison faculty that will be recognized include Professor of Plant Pathology Paul G. Ahlquist, Professor of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Kyung Mann Kim, Professor of Psychiatry Ned H. Kalin, Professor of Chemical and Biological engineering Thomas F. Kuech and Professor of Life Sciences Communication Dietram A. Scheufele.

An expert on environmental attitudes warned Tuesday that a shift in public attitudes toward wolves could endanger the species? presence in Wisconsin. 

UW-Madison?s Clark Johnson, a geoscientist, has spent years thinking about and studying extraterrestrial life ? where we are most likely to find it and what it is probably going to look like. Don?t expect little green men.

“When I give talks,” Johnson said, “I Photoshop a dinosaur onto Mars? surface. If we saw that, there?d be no doubt about life. But it is a much more cryptic message that we?re looking for.”

Also quoted: John Valley, a UW-Madison scientist who specializes in geochemistry.

A: In 1803, British pharmacist and chemist Luke Howard devised a classification system for clouds. It has proved so successful that meteorologists have used Howard?s system ever since, with minor modifications. According to his system, clouds are given Latin names corresponding to their appearance ? layered or convective ? and their altitude. Clouds are also categorized based on whether or not they are precipitating.

A: As the remnants of Superstorm Sandy approached us on Oct. 29, people in Wisconsin observed a halo on two consecutive nights. These halos resulted from the ice clouds generated from the storm. A halo is a whitish ring that encircles but does not touch the sun or moon. It is an optical phenomenon that owes its existence to the bending of light by ice crystals, much like the ?rainbow crystals? you may hang in your windows.

A: Sort of, said Susan Nitzke, UW-Madison emeritus professor of nutritional science. But let?s start by eliminating from consideration an amino acid commonly known as tryptophan. ?Tryptophan and sleepiness probably deserves classification as an urban legend,? Nitzke said. ?It?s true that tryptophan can make a person tired if it?s ingested on its own on an empty stomach. In truth, it doesn?t happen that way for anybody ? especially on Thanksgiving.?