I&D

• New project will adapt dairying to climate change May 7, 2013 Agricultural scientists from across the nation are embarking on a new five-year, $10 million, USDA-funded effort to identify dairy production practices that minimize the emission of greenhouse gasses (GHG) and will be more resilient to the effects of a changing climate.
• With heart cells, middle schoolers learn the hard lessons of science May 2, 2013 The drug trial is not off to an auspicious start. The cells are not cooperating.
• Microbe shown to regulate its host’s biological clock April 12, 2013 At a time when scientists are beginning to recognize the pervasive influence of microbes in a legion of plant and animal functions, new research shows a symbiotic bacterium setting the biological clock of its host animal.
• Archaeologists on front lines of protecting ancient culture in turbulent regions April 11, 2013 J. Mark Kenoyer stands on a windswept peak in Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan, his head wrapped in a traditional scarf against the harsh sun. As he chats in a mixture of Urdu and Pashto with an Afghan archaeologist, it’s easy to see why documentarian Brent Huffman wanted the University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of anthropology to appear in his upcoming film about Mes Aynak, a 2,600-year-old Buddhist monastery.
• Transplanted brain cells in monkeys light up personalized therapy March 14, 2013 For the first time, scientists have transplanted neural cells derived from a monkey's skin into its brain and watched the cells develop into several types of mature brain cells, according to the authors of a new study in Cell Reports. After six months, the cells looked entirely normal, and were only detectable because they initially were tagged with a fluorescent protein.
• From Washington to Obama, a look at the U.S. presidency Feb. 19, 2013 Compared to President Barack Obama, George Washington had it rough. No executive staff, no modern dental care, and the preferred method of treatment for a throat infection (which killed the nation’s first president) was removing pints of ‘tainted’ blood from the patient.
• Warming ‘seesaw’ turns extra sunlight into global greenhouse Feb. 6, 2013 Earth's most recent shift to a warm climate began with intense summer sun in the Northern Hemisphere, the first pressure on a seesaw that tossed powerful forces between the planet's poles until greenhouse gases accelerated temperature change on a global scale.
• Four-legged patients – and their blood donors Jan. 29, 2013 Where do life-saving blood products come from when an animal is in dire need?
• Despite drought, heat and higher costs, state farm income was second highest ever Jan. 23, 2013 Despite the challenges brought on by prolonged drought and record-breaking heat, Wisconsin farmers earned $3 billion in net farm income in 2012, the second highest amount on record.
• Stirred, not shaken, lake mixing experiment shows promise Nov. 5, 2012 The question is simple: can a lake be cleansed of a pernicious invader by simply raising the water temperature?
• National cybersecurity effort launched to strengthen software infrastructure Nov. 1, 2012 Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have received a $23.6 million grant as part of a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA 11-02) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to address threats arising from the development process of software used in technology ranging from the national power grid to medical devices.
• UW scientists track Sandy's fury Oct. 30, 2012 Hurricane Sandy has earned it reputation as a perfect storm, even among meteorologists. But while Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said, “This is the worst-case scenario,” the storm researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison weren’t so sure.
• UW-Madison archaeologists to mount new expedition to Troy Oct. 15, 2012 Troy, the palatial city of prehistory, sacked by the Greeks through trickery and a fabled wooden horse, will be excavated anew beginning in 2013 by a cross-disciplinary team of archaeologists and other scientists, it was announced today (Monday, Oct. 15).
• UW study proposes “swimways” to help save migratory fish Oct. 10, 2012 A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher says states should be looking to the skies in order to save fish.
• Studies point to rising role for women scientists at UW-Madison Sept. 25, 2012 As the University of Wisconsin-Madison competes with the world's top universities for talent and expertise, it is getting more help from women, who in 2011 comprised 31 percent of the faculty — up from 18 percent in 1990.
• Pacifiers may have emotional consequences for boys Sept. 18, 2012 Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.
• Wisconsin Science Festival brings wonders of science to life for all ages Sept. 17, 2012 After a rousing debut last fall, the Wisconsin Science Festival returns for its second year this Sept. 27-30 with an even bigger and bolder schedule of people, music, art and explosions bringing the wonders of science to life for all ages.
• UW, GE announce next frontier in diagnostic imaging and radiology research Sept. 13, 2012 Imagine a place where doctors can tell patients in advance if cancer treatment will work for them, without going through an entire course of chemotherapy.
• UW-Madison celebrates imagination, discovery in the Year of Innovation Sept. 13, 2012 From dairy science to dance to vitamin D to stem cells, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has pushed the boundaries of what is known and the limits of what is possible for more than 160 years.
• Universe in the Park takes astronomy to Wisconsin state parks Sept. 12, 2012 "I want to blow your mind, take you places you have never seen before. Do not hesitate to ask question. I will not bite."