Ideas and discoveries

  • IceCube building goals exceeded at South Pole Feb. 25, 2009 As the 2008-09 Antarctic drilling season concludes, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is on track to be finished as planned in 2011.
  • Michael Collins Delving into the murky metrics of financial risk Feb. 25, 2009 The way J. Michael Collins sees it, United States consumers aren’t necessarily less informed about financial risk than consumers from other industrialized nations. What Americans do have, however, are an abundance of ways to screw up.
  • Franklin Delanor Roosevelt New history course on U.S. ‘grand strategy’ reaches out to modern military leaders Feb. 24, 2009 If ignorance of history makes one more likely to repeat it, as the saying goes, then the stakes of historical knowledge are at their highest when involving military strategy and war.
  • Snowflake Lovely ‘snowfakes’ mimic nature, advance science Feb. 24, 2009 Exquisitely detailed and beautifully symmetrical, the snowflakes that David Griffeath makes are icy jewels of art.
  • La Tour Eiffel French master’s program opens doors to work opportunity Feb. 17, 2009 The Professional French Masters Program at UW-Madison is one of the only program in the country that offers a graduate degree that combines language skills with study in other academic areas.
  • Lady Liberty on Lake Mendota Slide show: Crowning glory—Lady Liberty rises on Lake Mendota again Feb. 16, 2009 In a repeat performance of one of the most popular college pranks ever, this week Lady Liberty once again appeared to rise from Lake Mendota with torch aloft, thanks to the Wisconsin Hoofers, UW-Madison’s outdoor recreation club.
  • President Obama Researchers cite President's role in reducing racism Feb. 16, 2009 President Obama spurred a dramatic change in the way whites think about African-Americans before he had even set foot in the Oval Office, according to a new study.
  • Core sample Project explores mechanics of major earthquake faults Feb. 15, 2009 CHICAGO - Deep-sea drilling into one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet is providing the first direct look at the geophysical fault properties underlying some of the world's largest earthquakes and tsunamis. The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) is the first geologic study of the underwater subduction zone faults that give rise to the massive earthquakes known to seismologists as mega-thrust earthquakes.
  • still image from video How do you mend a broken heart? Maybe someday with stem cells made from your skin Feb. 12, 2009 A little more than a year after University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists showed they could turn skin cells back into stem cells, they have pulsating proof that these "induced" stem cells can indeed form the specialized cells that make up heart muscle.
  • Image of cold virus Sequences capture the code of the common cold Feb. 12, 2009 In an effort to confront our most familiar malady, scientists have deciphered the instruction manual for the common cold.
  • A mouse Mouse study reveals genetic component of empathy Feb. 12, 2009 The ability to empathize with others is partially determined by genes, according to new research on mice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).
  • Photo of fabric Green is the trend for UW design students Feb. 11, 2009 With the economy in recession and consumers looking to cut costs however they can, it may not seem like the best time to focus on fashion and design. But students in the School of Human Ecology are doing just that in a course focused on creating products and apparel that are not only sustainable, but people actually want to buy.
  • Two-step chemical process turns raw biomass into biofuel Feb. 10, 2009 Taking a chemical approach, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a two-step method to convert the cellulose in raw biomass into a promising biofuel. The process, which is described in the Wednesday, Feb. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is unprecedented in its use of untreated, inedible biomass as the starting material.
  • WSUM starts a new era with move into University Square Feb. 9, 2009 After years of a pillar-to-post existence and adapting to jerry-rigged spaces that were never intended to house a radio studio, WSUM-FM 91.7 has moved into shiny, new digs designed just for them at University Square, 333 East Campus Mall.
  • DNA sequencing Mathematical models reveal how organisms transcend the sum of their genes Feb. 6, 2009 Molecular and cellular biologists have made tremendous scientific advances by dissecting apart the functions of individual genes, proteins, and pathways. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering are looking to expand that understanding by putting the pieces back together, mathematically.
  • Cell images Genetic change prevents cell death in mouse model of Parkinson’s disease Feb. 2, 2009 By shifting a normal protective mechanism into overdrive, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist has completely shielded mice from a toxic chemical that would otherwise cause Parkinson's disease.
  • Bobtail squid Single gene lets bacteria jump from host to host Feb. 1, 2009 All life - plants, animals, people - depends on peaceful coexistence with a swarm of microbial life that performs vital services from helping to convert food to energy to protection from disease.
  • Raw beef Vet Medicine launches a new approach to E. coli food safety Jan. 30, 2009 Infection by Eschericia.coli O157:H7 from undercooked cattle meat proves deadly to about 60 people in the U.S. each year. While testing is available to detect the presence of the bacterium in raw meat, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison would prefer to address the problem before the meat is sent to market.
  • Photo of lioness Research uncovers surprising lion stronghold in war-torn central Africa Jan. 29, 2009 Times are tough for wildlife living at the frontier between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Armies are reportedly encamped in a national park and wildlife preserve on the Congolese side, while displaced herders and their cattle have settled in an adjoining Ugandan park.
  • Photo of piano lessons Piano Pioneers brings musical opportunities to Madison community Jan. 28, 2009 For the School of Music, the key to connecting with the Madison community lies within the keys of a piano.