Ideas and discoveries

• ‘Motorized’ DNA opens door to autonomous molecular experiments April 17, 2009 Using the same protein molecule that scientists have used for decades to copy genetic material, researchers have developed a molecular motor for propelling DNA.
• Art of the very, very small to debut at Dane County Airport April 15, 2009 Artful images of the very, very small - cells, molecules and nanoscale structures - will be on display beginning Friday, April 24, at the Art Court of the Dane County Regional Airport.
• Economics scholar points to a surging underground economy April 13, 2009 With the tax-filing deadline just days away, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert in the underground economy says that unpaid tax liability in the United States has likely ballooned to more than $600 billion.
• Study reveals potential to amass more carbon in eastern North American forests April 6, 2009 With climate change looming, the hunt for places that can soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is on.
• Sleep: Spring cleaning for the brain? April 2, 2009 If you've ever been sleep-deprived, you know the feeling that your brain is full of wool.
• Researcher uses GPS to find asthma causes April 2, 2009 David Van Sickle is looking for a few pioneering asthmatics. He wants to attach a GPS device to their inhalers before they boldly go out into a spring world filled with allergens.
• Wind-energy leader Vestas forges partnership with College of Engineering April 1, 2009 Vestas, the world's leading producer of wind power technology, has entered into a long-term partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering that promises to propel wind-energy research, provide student learning opportunities and give the company a long-term presence in Madison.
• Landscape found to influence spread of malaria in Amazon March 31, 2009 The spread of malaria, one of the world's most prevalent insect-borne diseases and a leading killer of children, may have more to do with landscape than precipitation as the world warms, according to a new study.
• Study reveals new options for people with PKU March 30, 2009 For people with the genetic condition known as phenylketonuria (PKU), diet is a constant struggle. They can eat virtually no protein, and instead get their daily dose of this key macronutrient by drinking a bitter-tasting formula of amino acids. Yet drink it they must; deviating from this strict dietary regimen puts them at risk of developing permanent neurological damage.
• Hurricanes not likely to disrupt ocean carbon balance March 30, 2009 Hurricanes are well known for the trail of damage and debris they can leave on land, but less known for the invisible trail left over the ocean by their gale-force winds - a trail of carbon dioxide.
• Wisconsin, Morgridge scientists excise vector, exotic genes from induced stem cells March 26, 2009 A team of scientists from the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports that it has created induced human pluripotent stem (iPS) cells completely free of viral vectors and exotic genes.
• Dust plays larger than expected role in determining Atlantic temperature March 26, 2009 The recent warming trend in the Atlantic Ocean is largely due to reductions in airborne dust and volcanic emissions during the past 30 years, according to a new study.
• Regional English dictionary closes in on ultimate milestone March 23, 2009 Meandering its merry way through new submissions such as “whiffle-minded,” “whirligust,” “whistle punk” and “williwags,” the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) project is now tantalizingly close to completing a mission more than four decades in the making.
• Optimum running speed is stride toward understanding human body form March 19, 2009 Runners, listen up: If your body is telling you that your pace feels a little too fast or a little too slow, it may be right.
• Teeth of Columbus’s crew flesh out tale of new world discovery March 19, 2009 The adage that dead men tell no tales has long been disproved by archaeology.
• Dance Program: ‘Small, but mighty’ March 11, 2009 There’s no telling where a dancer may land. Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s point man, turned down a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet School. Maya Angelou, poet, writer, journalist and activist, began her career on stage as a dancer.
• Evolution, ecosystems may buffer some species against climate change March 5, 2009 Although ecologists expect many species will be harmed by climate change, some species could be buffered by their potential to evolve or by changes in their surrounding ecosystems.
• Antarctica’s IceCube telescope is Wisconsin-made March 3, 2009 When it’s completed in 2011, the South Pole neutrino observatory, Ice Cube, promises to open a new window on otherworldly events happening across the universe, such as colliding galaxies and black holes. In the meantime, though, it’s producing some decidedly down-to-earth results for Wisconsin. Since construction began in 2002, $77 million has been spent in the state to design, engineer and build IceCube components.
• Going green, one moped at a time Feb. 26, 2009 Sixteen UW-Madison engineering students spent last fall figuring out how to make the Vespa scooter more green.
• Models present new view of nanoscale friction Feb. 25, 2009 To understand friction on a very small scale, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers had to think big.