“Prices on consumer products have risen one to two percent every year for the past two decades,” said Cliff Robb, a consumer behavior expert at UW-Madison. “But this year, that jump is around four percent.”
Category: UW Experts in the News
Why diverse children’s books are important tools for teaching kids about themselves and others
Includes interview with KT Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the School of Education.
Notes from a Transplant Surgeon
Guest Dr. Joshua Mezrich, an associate Director of Surgery at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, shares insights from his book, “When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon.”
A third of Wisconsin’s wolves killed after losing protections this year, study says
And even that is likely an underestimate, according to Adrian Treves, study co-author and professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We took the most conservative estimates of poaching and cryptic poaching,” or illegal hunting that goes unrecorded, he says.
With reelection on horizon, Gov. Tony Evers campaigns on Republican tax cut
UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said Republicans may have inadvertently handed Evers a huge re-election gift by allowing him to sign such a monumental income tax cut, defusing the GOP attack line that Evers is a tax-and-spend liberal. “I think that’s more the irony in all this,” Burden said. “The budget itself looks like a win for Republicans, they mostly got what they wanted. But the budget I think will help Evers’ re-election and doesn’t do much to help Republicans out.”
Psychologist offers tips to mentally prepare kids for new school year
“We know that uncertainty can be a major driver of anxiety for some people,” Brian Leitzke, a pediatric psychologist at UW Health said.
Child tax credit cash to start hitting parents’ bank accounts Thursday
“This all takes place in a country like ours with less upward mobility and less opportunity for kids now than in past,” said Tim Smeeding, who studies poverty as a professor of public affairs and economics at UW-Madison. He sees the payments as good public policy “based on the idea that kids are expensive, and society has a shared interest in seeing them thrive.”
The Delta Variant and Pandemic Prevention
Scientists and public health officials are using genomic sequencing to plan for future pandemics and to detect variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as the more contagious Delta variant. UW-Madison virology professors and researchers Tom Friedrich and Dave O’Connor explain.
The common cold could predate humans and have plagued Neanderthals 700,000 years ago, | Daily Mail Online
Not everyone in the field is convinced of the timeline, though: Caitlin Pepperell, a microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison not involved with the study, told NS that when organisms recombine their DNA—like adenovirus C often does, ’the signal gets scrambled.’
Study finds plasma effective for patients with COVID, blood cancer
“The difference in the survival rate among ICU patients was much higher than I expected,” said William Hartman, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Hartman was not one of the study authors.
ColdQuanta Reaches Quantum Computer Milestone By Demonstrating Immense Scalability of ‘Cold Atom’ Processor Approach
Hilbert is based on pioneering work over the last several decades by Mark Saffman, ColdQuanta’s Chief Scientist for Quantum Information and professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Cold Atoms are nature’s qubits. Their pristine characteristics enable control of their quantum state with a clear pathway to rapidly scaling to multiple thousands of qubits,” said Mark Saffman.
Blackfishing: Here’s what it is and why people are doing it
Leslie Bow, a professor of Asian American studies at the University of Wisconsin, describes Blackfishing as “a racial masquerade that operates as a form of racial fetishism.”
UW Health: Guidance on COVID-19 vaccine boosters is a ways away
“There is still so much to learn – how long immunity persists after vaccines, what kinds of reactions people might have with additional doses, and do the vaccines need to be updated for new strains of SARS-CoV2 – that it’s just too soon to know whether we will all need to have booster shots like we do for the flu,” Dr. Jim Conway, medical director of UW Health’s Immunization Program and professor of pediatrics and infectious disease specialist at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said.
Will we need COVID-19 booster shots? UW Health weighs in
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend boosters for any COVID-19 vaccine, indicating that the need for and timing of COVID-19 booster doses have not been established. It may be a while until those recommendations are made, according to Dr. Jim Conway, medical director, UW Health Immunization Program, and professor of pediatrics and infectious disease specialist, UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
CDC not currently recommending boosters for COVID-19 vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that at this time they are not recommending booster doses of any of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in the United States. Dr. Jim Conway, the medical director of the UW Health Immunization Program, and professor of pediatrics and infectious disease specialist at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, says it might be a while before those recommendations are made.
Wildfires threaten all of the West — and one group more than others
“People know the risk, and that’s been a little bit of a wake-up call to ecologists like myself,” said Volker Radeloff, a fire ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The economic toll of having your criminal record in the news
“What the AP has done here is say, ‘Well, we can still report on these cases. But can we really justify the harm that’s being done to people when the case is just a minor crime?’” said Katy Culver, the James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
We Are on Track for a Planet-Wide, Climate-Driven Landscape Makeover
Scientists debate what this floral rearrangement will look like. In some places, it may take place quietly and be easily ignored. In others, though, it could be one of the changing climate’s most consequential and disruptive effects. “There’s a whole lot more of this we can expect over the next decades,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison paleoecologist Jack Williams. “When people talk about wildfires out West, about species moving upslope—to me, this is just the beginning.”
Wisconsin Ecologist Brad Herrick on How to Spot Invasive Species Jumping Worms
Earthworms are good for the soil, but so-called Jumping Worms, an invasive species from Asia, can devastate gardens and forests. Jumping Worms are spreading across North America. “Invasive species can really quickly do a number on native species that don’t have defense mechanisms against their invader,” said Brad Herrick, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. Herrick told Inside Edition Digital, “It’s still early in the invasion, but it’s happening fast.”
A ‘Path To Healing’: Partnership Between UW-Madison, Sister City Addresses Post-War Trauma In El Salvador
It’s still difficult for Rosa Rivera y Rivera to talk about the village she grew up in. Decimated by the Salvadoran Civil War that left more than 75,000 civilians dead, she hasn’t been back to the land since 1980.
Robots are learning to smile and it’s making humans cringe
Paula Niedenthal is an emotions researcher and professor of psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She tells Inverse that working toward emotionally express robots is important as well because humans will read emotions into these robots no matter what. Take, for example, food delivery robots milling the streets around UW Madison.
UW research shows Earth’s vegetation changing as quickly as the Ice Age
Earth’s vegetation is changing as quickly now as it changed at the end of the ice age 10 to 15 thousand years ago according to research in part out of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
‘It’s Science Fiction Until it Isn’t.’ UW-Madison Joins Global Institute To Help Prepare For, Prevent Future Pandemics
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has joined an international effort to create a pandemic prevention institute aimed at helping researchers, public health officials and governments respond quickly to future pandemics.
Vilas Zoo plans to vaccinate some animals against COVID-19 with experimental drug
Mary Thurber, clinical instructor in zoological medicine at UW-Madison and Vilas’ primary veterinarian, said zookeepers continue to take precautions around animals potentially at risk of contracting COVID-19, including wearing facemasks.
In time of greatest need, Minneapolis struggles to recruit new police officers
Quoted: In many states, the basic requirements for becoming a police officer are lower than they are for other professions, according to Jirs Meuris, assistant professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin’s school of business.
“You need 1,500 [hours of training] to become a barber, on average — you need years of trade school to become a plumber or electrician,” he said.
Ballots and voting equipment are moved again as review of 2020 election drags on in Arizona’s Maricopa County
In addition, a new report published last week and co-authored by former Kentucky secretary of state Trey Grayson, a Republican, and University of Wisconsin Professor Barry C. Burden concluded that the Arizona procedures “deviate significantly from standard practices for election reviews and audits” and that any findings are “suspect and should not be trusted.”
Months behind schedule, Arizona election auditors extend lease again
Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and director of the school’s Elections Research Center, said the latest extension was “yet another sign that the Cyber Ninjas are in over their heads and didn’t really have the experience or qualifications to do the review that they’re doing.”
What can Gov. Evers partially veto in the budget? A court decision is about to be tested
Quoted: “It could radically change the meaning of the text,” Prof. Howard Schweber from UW-Madison’s political science department said. Unless the legislature could overturn the partial veto with an unlikely two-thirds majority vote, that would be the law.
What the slowing vaccine rollout in Wisconsin means for herd immunity
University of Wisconsin-Madison Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences Ajay Sethi does anticipate that Wisconsin will reach the 70% mark this summer but says the goal isn’t to stop at that benchmark but to keep vaccinating.
“Marsy’s Law was passed; where does it come in to help my child?” Sauk Co. mom wants answers
“I do think that will start to change things,” said UW Madison Law Professor Ryan Poe-Gavlinski.
Bill Cosby conviction tossed, Wisconsin legal expert discusses
Quoted: A legal expert who spoke with FOX6 News said he understands why the Pennsylvania Supreme Court made the ruling it did.
“The victim here can’t force the prosecutor to prosecute,” said Ion Meyn, an assistant law professor at UW-Madison.
Meyn also said he disagrees with former Castor’s decision to not bring charges against Cosby in 2005.
“So at that time, she wanted to move forward when the evidence was as fresh as possible, to go through with the civil litigation. That makes sense,” Meyn said.
Oregon’s Buckled Roads and Melted Cables Are Warning Signs
In extreme heat, asphalt gets soft and behaves kind of like peanut butter, says Hussain Bahia, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin who heads the school’s Modified Asphalt Research Center. Put it in an oven and it will become a “slush fluid,” he says. Sustained heat on roads not built for heat can lead to potholes, pockmarks, and bumps.
Out Wisconsin lawmakers push for the passage of LGBTQ+ protections bill
Quoted: “Pocan has been is kind of taken up the mantle that Baldwin had kind of started in the House,” said Dave Canon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And he’s been really active in the Equality Caucus in the House and played a key role in helping get that passed through the House.”
The UW School of Medicine is seeking volunteers for a trial of an Alzheimer’s treatment that would help before symptoms appear
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is recruiting volunteers for a Phase 3 clinical trial of a treatment aimed at stopping Alzheimer’s disease even before the first symptoms of memory loss.
Medical, veterinary specialists worked together for risky brain surgery on a Milwaukee County Zoo bonobo
Noted: Zoo veterinarians injected the bonobo in the hip with medication to render him unconscious. Then, Schroeder and a colleague, Kyle Bartholomew, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, injected Qasai with two additional medications, Lidocaine and Propofol.
State Prisons Fueled Covid-19 Spread in Their Areas Last Spring, Study Suggests
Noted: Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison looked at data on covid-19 cases across the U.S. reported during the spring of 2020 and focused on comparing counties with prisons and jails to those without them. After controlling for other variables linked to covid-19 spread, like nearby nursing homes or population density, they found a clear link between having a state prison in the area and increased covid-19 cases.
“Our big takeaway from this research is that prisons are a particularly vulnerable type of facility when it comes to risk for disease spread, which may add additional stress to rural healthcare systems that are already struggling to cope with the pandemic,” study author Kaitlyn Sims, a doctoral student in agricultural and applied economics at UW–Madison, told Gizmodo in an email.
In an attack on Bill Barr, Trump repeats a favorite falsehood about the 2020 election
Quoted: The Maricopa County review “does not meet the standards of a proper election recount or audit,” said an evaluation of the ballot review by Trey Grayson, former Republican Kentucky secretary of state, and Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist.
Ticks are active in Wisconsin. How to protect yourself in the outdoors
While it may seem there are more of the pesky biters this year, it’s not clear if the number of ticks is higher this year than other years, said PJ Leisch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison insect diagnostic lab.
The inside story of the new NASA missions to Venus
But by those same parameters, if we were observing our own solar system from afar, we might think Venus should be Earth-like too. “If you can’t understand Venus, which is our closest Earth-like neighbor, what chance do you have of believing anything some astrophysicist tells us about exoplanets?” says planetary scientist Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Limaye is part of a contingent of Venus researchers interested in finding out whether its cloud layer could still host microbial life. In 2020, investigators reported in the journal Nature Astronomy seeing signatures of phosphine—a chemical known thus far only to come from biological sources—in the atmosphere. Though claims about the possible discovery didn’t pan out, the news helped to spotlight the planet as an overlooked astrobiology target.
Trump-backers want to export the Arizona ‘audit’ across the country
Elections experts are already warning that any conclusion drawn from the Arizona review will be untrustworthy. A report from the nonpartisan States United Democracy Center, co-authored by former Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Barry Burden, the director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ripped into the Arizona effort as being poorly run and not transparent.
Ticks are active across Wisconsin right now. The good news? There are several ways to prevent the bloodsuckers from biting
Quoted: While it may seem there are more of the pesky biters this year, it’s not clear if the number of ticks is higher this year than other years, said PJ Leisch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison insect diagnostic lab.
“It’s my overall impression that it’s rather variable depending on where you are in Wisconsin,” he said. “In some areas, ticks are having a good year, in other spots, it’s typical levels.”
Walmart (WMT) Offers Low-Priced Insulin to Counter Amazon’s Drug Push
The move could be “a really big deal” for people with diabetes, said Dawn Davis, an associate professor and endocrinologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Grilling tips from UW-Madison Meat Science
One of the biggest grilling weekends of the year is almost here. There’s more to grilling successfully than you may realize.
Company gets creative with recruiting, retaining employees
Quoted: “I think it’s clear it’s a contributing factor. What we don’t know is how large,” said Noah Williams, director at the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy at UW-Madison. “It is the one piece which is most amenable to policy change.”
Recent rain has Dane County moving in ‘right direction’; moderate drought remains
“That doesn’t gain us anything on the deficit that we had accumulated, but these plants need it now,” UW-Madison’s agronomy professor Christopher Kucharik said. “This was actually a really good stretch for them.”
Experts: Delta variant will dominate without enough vaccinations
Quoted: “It’s more contagious than the viruses that have come before, and it’s a little bit slippery so immune responses don’t work quite as well against it,” said Dave O’Connor, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW professor discusses National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month
Migraines affect more than 40 million people in the United States and are the number two cause of disability worldwide.
UW infectious disease expert says masks will be common moving forward
For that reason, UW-Madison infectious disease expert Dr. Ajay Sethi says masks will be around for years to come. “I foresee mask use as something you sort of go to whenever we have high community rates of some respiratory infection…doesn’t have to be COVID, it could be influenza, it could be other viruses that are circulating during our winter months,” Sethi said.
The future of wearing a face mask
“Masks work,” said Ajay Sethi with the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “They work for healthcare providers, and they work in all sorts of settings where you have that close contact.”
Quotation of the Day: Skull May Point to New Kind of Ancient Human
“It’s very rare to find a fossil like this, with a face in good condition. You dream of finding this stuff.”
JOHN HAWKS, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, speaking about the discovery of a massive skull that is at least 140,000 years old. Scientists said it could be a new species of ancient human.
“We are not out of the woods yet.” Despite rainfall, farmers continue to struggle through drought conditions
Quoted: It’s the worst drought in nearly a decade according to Jerry Clark, Agriculture Agent for Division of Extension, UW-Madison, Chippewa County.
“I think the rain we received over the last week has alleviated some of the drought stress and the crop are small enough yet especially for corn and soybeans that if this drought occurs in another month where we get high temperatures and start to run out of moisture, that is when we will definitely start to see the hit on the yield side locally,” Clark said.
The Roots of “Critical Race Theory”
Gloria Ladson Billings, UW Madison School of Education professor emerita and early critical race theory researcher, speaks to its origins alongside UW La Follette School professor emeritus John Witte.
‘Dragon man’ claimed as new species of ancient human but doubts remain
John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison agrees. “My opinion is that… this is more than likely Denisovan.”
Researchers say ‘dragon man’ skull found in China could be new human species
“I think it’s a bad moment in science to be naming new species among these large-brained humans that all interbred with each other,” University of Wisconsin-Madison professor John Hawks told the Guardian. “What we are repeatedly finding is that the differences in looks didn’t mean much to these ancient people when it comes to breeding.”
Florida’s Oceanfront Cities Are Not Prepared for Sea Level Rise
Quoted: “While it is too early to determine the cause, it is definitely not too early to worry about how building and other infrastructure will be impacted as the flooding from sea-level rise worsens, and whether there is a plan to modify and sustain these buildings or whether they should ultimately be abandoned and removed,” Andrea Dutton, a geoscientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and former associate professor of geology at the University of Florida, wrote in an email.
Discovery of “Dragon Man” skull may challenge theories of human evolution
“It’s a beautiful thing,” John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the NYT. “It’s very rare to find a fossil like this, with a face in good condition. You dream of finding this stuff.”
Editorial: A trusted messenger
Quoted: Zeroing in on individual concerns such as these is exactly what it will take to have any hope for change, explains Dietram Scheufele, a professor of science communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Misinformation About Science in the Public Sphere,” published this spring by the National Academy of Sciences.
Research shows that we must reach people where they are at in terms of gut-level beliefs and first acknowledge their fears rather than preach science, Scheufele says. And having a trusted messenger is key to leading the way toward bringing people back to reality and on that path toward making good choices.
Disrupted cell skeletons may explain brain wiring changes in autism-linked condition
Quoted: “We were very surprised,” says Timothy Gómez, professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the new study. “We were expecting this to be all mTOR.”
The Senate’s oddest of ‘odd couples’: In Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, Wisconsin has produced a historically divergent pairing
Quoted: “With the polarization of our politics, there are fewer states in which you have truly competitive elections at the state level,” said political scientist David Canon, a congressional scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And we’re also seeing a tighter connection between presidential results and Senate results.”
Cambodians struggle to stay afloat, retain their identity after losing their homes to country’s biggest dam
Noted: In a study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank in 1999, British engineering consultancy Sir William Halcrow & Partners Ltd called the then-proposed Lower Sesan 2 dam “unattractive” due to its marginal financial viability. The study also expressed concerns about the “extremely heavy environmental and social impacts”, in the words of Ian Baird of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.