Ideas and discoveries

  • Stoltenberg Librarian makes modern update to historic collection Sept. 24, 2008 The Department of Geography and UW Digital Collections Center at Memorial Library — with help of a 2008 Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment grant — are digitizing the collection of aerial photos of the state of Wisconsin, taken by the USDA from 1937–41, and creating a Web portal to make the content more publicly accessible.
  • Map of Big Ten states Obama and McCain in tight race in inaugural Big Ten Battleground Poll Sept. 18, 2008 In the inaugural Big Ten Battleground Poll taken as the nation's financial crisis worsened this week, John McCain and Barack Obama were in a statistical dead heat in seven of the eight Midwest states included in the survey.
  • Photo of switchgrass New process derives 'green gasoline' from plant sugars Sept. 18, 2008 Alternative energy doesn't always mean solar or wind power. In fact, the alternative fuels developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemical and biological engineering professor James Dumesic look a lot like the gasoline and diesel fuel used in vehicles today.
  • Photo of dust Comet dust reveals unexpected mixing of solar system Sept. 18, 2008 Chemical clues from a comet's halo are challenging common views about the history and evolution of the solar system and showing it may be more mixed-up than previously thought.
  • Photo of a cat Study works to improve pain relief in pets Sept. 18, 2008 A new, injectable pain-relieving drug formulation for animals might eliminate more than pain.
  • Stock photo of stem cell research Engineered stem cells carry promising ALS therapy Sept. 16, 2008 Using adult stem cells from bone marrow as "Trojan horses" to deliver a nurturing growth factor to atrophied muscles, Wisconsin scientists have successfully slowed the progression of ALS in rats.
  • Photo of choral performer Performance Center to get $20 million boost Sept. 16, 2008 Two anonymous donors have made a commitment of $20 million in support of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music's future Performance Center on the northwest corner of University Avenue and Lake Street.
  • Image from On Wisconsin cover World’s biggest particle accelerator begins operation Sept. 10, 2008 After more than 15 years of planning and preparation, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's most powerful particle accelerator, started operating this morning (Sept. 10).
  • UW researcher contributes to study linking warmer seas, stronger hurricanes Sept. 4, 2008 The theory that global warming may be contributing to stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 30 years is bolstered by a new study led by a Florida State University researcher. The study is published in today's edition of the journal Nature.
  • Photo of marmosets Baby's smell tamps down dad's testosterone levels Sept. 3, 2008 Does eau de infant make dad a better parent? It does, it seems, if you are a common marmoset, a New World monkey known for its collaborative approach to rearing offspring.
  • Photo of runoff New projects take aim at Arboretum stormwater problems Sept. 3, 2008 Even after the most violent rains, stormwater usually recedes from city streets within hours. But in the downstream places where this water collects, the impact can be lasting, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum.
  • Map of Greenland icesheet depth from Wikipedia commons Ice Age lesson predicts a faster rise in sea level Sept. 2, 2008 If the lessons being learned by scientists about the demise of the last great North American ice sheet are correct, estimates of global sea level rise from a melting Greenland ice sheet may be seriously underestimated.
  • Photo of Turner Patterns in changing ecological landscapes inspire professor Aug. 27, 2008 Thirty years after visiting Yellowstone National Park for the first time, Monica Turner has established herself as a leader in the field of ecology and made Yellowstone one of the most well-studied ecological landscapes in the country.
  • Photo of mosquito Professor tracks mosquitoes for the sake of public health Aug. 22, 2008 Under a cloud of mosquitoes on a muggy June morning, Susan Paskewitz sits down in the grass, rolls up her pant leg and extends her calf as bait.
  • Photo of bull moose Manes, trains and antlers explained Aug. 21, 2008 A team of Wisconsin scientists has worked out the molecular details of how a simple genetic switch controls decorative traits in male fruit flies and how that switch evolved.
  • Photo of lab vial WiCell Research Institute launches new stem cell bank Aug. 21, 2008 The WiCell Research Institute, a private, not-for-profit supporting organization to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is launching its own stem cell bank to distribute cell lines beyond the 21 lines eligible for federal funding and distribution through the National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB).
  • Image of bodies The biology of obesity: Do these genes make me look fat? Aug. 15, 2008 Scientists are probing the complex relationship between our DNA and our diets to unravel the root causes of obesity. But for those seeking a simple solution to the worldwide fat epidemic, their answers may be hard to swallow.
  • Image from study Self-assembling polymer arrays improve data storage potential Aug. 14, 2008 A new manufacturing approach holds the potential to overcome the technological limitations currently facing the microelectronics and data-storage industries, paving the way to smaller electronic devices and higher-capacity hard drives.
  • Professor sees optimism in prejudice research Aug. 13, 2008 It is a question on many Americans' minds: Is the United States ready for a black president, or will deep-rooted and even unconscious prejudices show at the polls?
  • Photo of Yellowstone fire and aftermath Rising from the ashes: The science of Yellowstone’s rebirth Aug. 6, 2008 When wildfires raged through more than a million acres of a beloved national park, the destruction seemed complete. But a UW researcher looked closer — and found hope growing among the remains.