I&D

• UW-Madison Researchers Find New Subtype of Breast Cancer June 11, 2010
• It's a small world (for small people) after all May 10, 2010 Lab-coated and goggled, Troy Dassler's 15 third graders are itching to power up their digital optical microscopes.
• In Europe, bison find plenty of room to roam May 5, 2010 The European bison, a close relative of the American bison, has been on a slow road to recovery for almost a century. Europe's largest grazing animal once dwelled from central Russia to Spain, but by the beginning of the 20th century, habitat loss and hunting had reduced them to 54 animals.
• The plight of working-poor families: Low-wage labor and weak safety net April 27, 2010 In their new book from the University of Chicago Press titled "Both Hands Tied: Welfare Reform and the Race to the Bottom of the Low-Wage Labor Market," co-authors Jane L. Collins and Victoria Mayer present their analysis of the political and structural forces that shaped the lives of working-poor families by examining the experiences of 33 women living in Milwaukee and Racine, Wis.
• Life history database aids wild primate studies April 22, 2010 Karen Strier can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that much of her life's work is now safe.
• Lathrop Hall marks centennial year April 16, 2010 Lathrop Hall hits a milestone this year, and the School of Education is throwing a party worthy of the classic building perched along University Avenue.
• As honeybee colonies collapse, can native bees handle pollination? April 13, 2010 With colony collapse disorder continuing to plague commercial beekeepers in many parts of the country, University of Wisconsin-Madison experts are studying whether native pollinators can supply the insect pollination needed to form many fruits.
• Controls for animals’ color designs revealed April 7, 2010 The vivid colors and designs animals use to interact with their environments have awed and inspired since before people learned to draw on the cave wall.
• Study explores link between sunlight, multiple sclerosis March 22, 2010 For more than 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis (MS) is much more common in higher latitudes than in the tropics. Because sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many researchers have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could explain this unusual pattern of prevalence.
• Twenty-year study yields precise model of tectonic-plate movements March 22, 2010 A new model of the Earth, 20 years in the making, describes a dynamic three-dimensional puzzle of planetary proportions.
• Scavenging energy waste to turn water into hydrogen fuel March 11, 2010 Materials scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have designed a way to harvest small amounts of waste energy and harness them to turn water into usable hydrogen fuel.
• Words, wit and wild hearts: A conversation with author, professor Lorrie Moore March 10, 2010 It’s a writer-to-writer conversation when Jacquelyn Mitchard sits down for a chat with Lorrie Moore, acclaimed fiction author and UW faculty member.
• UW-Madison biochemists take a bead on gene-controlling code March 2, 2010 DNA may provide the blueprint for life, but scientists are learning more about the role of a chemical code that governs the way that blueprint is read.
• New book puts American welfare state in perspective March 1, 2010 A new book called "Wealth and Welfare States: Is America a Laggard or a Leader?" explores the role of the welfare state in the overall wealth and well-being of nations and, in particular, looks at the American welfare state in comparison with other developed nations in Europe and elsewhere.
• Template engineering demonstrates possibilities of new superconducting material Feb. 28, 2010 A breakthrough approach by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and their collaborators in fabricating thin films of a new superconducting material has yielded promising results: The material has a current-carrying potential 500 times that of previous experiments, making it significant for a variety of practical applications.
• New approach could produce multifunction nanodevices Feb. 28, 2010 A team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has developed a new approach for creating powerful nanodevices, and their discoveries could pave the way for other researchers to begin more widespread development of these devices.
• Novel compound found effective against avian influenza virus Feb. 26, 2010 A novel compound is highly effective against the pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, including some drug-resistant strains, according to new research led by a University of Wisconsin-Madison virologist.
• New process yields high-energy-density plant-based transportation fuel Feb. 25, 2010 A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has developed a highly efficient, environmentally friendly process that selectively converts gamma-valerolactone, a biomass derivative, into the chemical equivalent of jet fuel.
• Decades on, UW-Madison Research Park thrives, plans for growth Feb. 24, 2010 After getting its start during a time of pessimism and doubt, the UW-Madison Research Park has turned into an engine of high-tech economic development.
• Virus hybridization could create pandemic bird flu Feb. 22, 2010 Genetic interactions between avian H5N1 influenza and human seasonal influenza viruses have the potential to create hybrid strains combining the virulence of bird flu with the pandemic ability of H1N1, according to a new study.