I&D

• Expectant brains help predict anxiety treatment success Jan. 2, 2009 A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment.
• Clinical trial uses bat saliva enzyme for stroke treatment Dec. 30, 2008 Vampires aren't usually cast in the role of saviors, but stroke experts are hoping a blood thinner that mimics a chemical in vampire saliva will help save brain cells in stroke patients. The School of Medicine and Public Health is one of several centers worldwide currently enrolling patients in a large new clinical trial of desmoteplase, a drug based on an enzyme in vampire bat saliva.
• Scientists isolate genes that made 1918 flu lethal Dec. 29, 2008 By mixing and matching a contemporary flu virus with the "Spanish flu" - a virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years ago in history's most devastating outbreak of infectious disease - researchers have identified a set of three genes that helped underpin the extraordinary virulence of the 1918 virus.
• Photo essay: Cold digger Dec. 23, 2008 Fifty years ago, UW scientist Charlie Bentley made his maiden voyage to a frigid, faraway land – and he’s been returning ever since.
• Patient-derived induced stem cells retain disease traits Dec. 22, 2008 When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells - the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy - confirmed that the University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.
• Author examines relationship between Enlightenment, religion Dec. 18, 2008 In researching the relationship between Judaism and Enlightenment thought, David Sorkin found significant misunderstanding about the relationship between the Enlightenment and religion in general.
• Bringing modern roots to a traditional collection Dec. 18, 2008 Ken Cameron joined the faculty earlier this year as an associate professor of botany and director of the Wisconsin State Herbarium. He cites the botany department — one of a relative few remaining university botany departments, most having folded into larger biology departments — as a strong draw, along with the mix of teaching, research and administrative duties offered by his joint appointment.
• Cognitive computing: Building a machine that can learn from experience Dec. 17, 2008 A UW-Madison researcher says the goal of building a computer as quick and flexible as a small mammalian brain is more daunting than it sounds.
• Study: Did early climate impact divert a new glacial age? Dec. 16, 2008 The common wisdom is that the invention of the steam engine and the advent of the coal-fueled industrial age marked the beginning of human influence on global climate.
• For nano, religion in U.S. dictates a wary view Dec. 8, 2008 When it comes to the world of the very, very small - nanotechnology - Americans have a big problem: Nano and its capacity to alter the fundamentals of nature, it seems, are failing the moral litmus test of religion.
• Can milk help prevent transplant rejections? Dec. 5, 2008 Could Wisconsin's signature product – milk – hold the key to one of the biggest problems in organ transplantation? Hans Sollinger, the surgeon who heads the transplant program at UW Hospital and Clinics, is betting on it.
• Cave’s climate clues show ancient empires declined during dry spell Dec. 4, 2008 The decline of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the Eastern Mediterranean more than 1,400 years ago may have been driven by unfavorable climate changes.
• Uncovering the real dirt on granular flow Dec. 3, 2008 Assistant Professor Dan Negrut and his team at the Simulation-Based Engineering Laboratory are developing innovative computer simulation methods for parallel computers to analyze granular material motion much faster than is possible with current technologies.
• Fast molecular rearrangements hold key to plastic's toughness Nov. 27, 2008 Plastics are everywhere in our modern world, largely due to properties that render the materials tough and durable, but lightweight and easily workable. One of their most useful qualities, however - the ability to bend rather than break when put under stress - is also one of the most puzzling.
• UW tackles neglected realm of training for science professors in training Nov. 27, 2008 U.S. science and engineering students emerge from graduate school exquisitely trained to carry out research. Yet when it comes to the other major activity they'll engage in as professors — teaching — they're usually left to their own devices. That's now beginning to change, thanks to work at UW-Madison.
• Newsletter helps parents, one month at a time Nov. 24, 2008
• Survey will help officials understand, control Lyme disease Nov. 19, 2008 This Saturday, as hunters seek white-tailed deer in Wisconsin's forested areas, a research team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist Susan Paskewitz will be conducting a hunt of its own.
• Visiting artist’s journey of collaboration, imagination Nov. 19, 2008 Fred Ho, master of the baritone saxophone, composer, writer, producer, activist, visionary and leader of the Afro Asian Music Ensemble, is this semester’s Arts Institute artist in residence.
• Students, staff eagerly await opening of student services tower Nov. 19, 2008 After years of anticipation, UW–Madison is just weeks away from launching a brand new era for many of its student services and organizations.
• Will the economy prompt greater use of generic drugs? Nov. 6, 2008 The expense of the daily dose of medicine is a bitter pill for many Americans. Yet, more than half of those taking prescription drugs are not taking advantage of an economical option: generic drugs.