Science

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Flu shots give important protection

Just as Madison makes its annual seasonal transition from fall to winter it also enters a season of a different type; the flu season. Every year starting in early October and lasting until the end of May, the contagious seasonal influenza virus spreads across the United States causing widespread illness and sometimes severe, life-threatening complications. While regular hand washing, not sharing food and avoiding touching your hands to your face have been shown to decrease the likelihood of getting infected with the virus, the single most effective way to prevent getting the virus is to get the seasonal flu shot at the start of the flu season each year.

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Bacterial genomes reveal new fuel

Using bacterial genes, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were able to identify furan containing fatty acids; compounds that could potentially be replacement components for oil in the fuel industry and chemicals in the pharmaceutical industry.

Climate change research considers land use an important variable of ecological impact

As climate change descends on the habitats of North America and the rest of the world, another force presses against ecosystems and forces them to adapt; the way we divide and use land also impacts ecosystems across the entire country.

Real-time interface for brain scans allows direct feedback during surgeries

   Conventionally, patients requiring neurosurgery will undergo a few protocols. After visiting a doctor with a specific brain-related problem, the doctor will send the patient to a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, which will allow doctors to project the specific location of the brain that needs to be operated on.

Bucky Badger able to display over 30 emotions, scientists say

It seems Bucky Badger is a lot more human than we thought, at least according to a study released by the Francovis Institute of Science.

Mouse study expands tumor knowledge

When we think of ways to prevent or treat cancer, temperature control usually isn’t high on the list. But, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Dr. Caroline Alexander at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, have made crucial progress in understanding a link between ambient temperature and how it may affect our ability to resist tumors.

Ask Ms. Scientist: annoying voices and sunsets

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Scientists authenticate human smile

A genuine smile can be a wonderful sight. It can energize us if we are feeling blue and encourage us when we are feeling troubled. It can give us strength, happiness, fortitude and peace. But all smiles are not created equal. There are kind smiles and cruel smiles, excited smiles and hopeless smiles. How is it that we are able to tell real smiles from false smiles?

UW research sparks cancer treatment innovations

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made an important advancement toward improved imaging and treatment of cancer. Over years of research, they have developed a class of molecules that accumulate in cancer cells—and not in other cells of the body—making it possible to specifically target cancerous growths.

Campus lab fosters innovative technology

A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison students were awarded this month for their efforts to perfect the system by which patients take medication—a prototype for a product called Medcuff.

Ask Ms. Scientist: vaccines and nighttime snacking

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Stem cells allow new way to create muscle cells

Stem cells were first discovered at the University of Toronto in the 1960s and have since become one of the most promising fields in biological research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to differentiate into a variety of specialized cells under the right conditions.

UW develops new asthma test

Asthma affects one in every 12 people in the United States and this trend is increasing every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Conventionally, patients are diagnosed through indirect measures such as lung functionality.  Direct methods have traditionally required a venipuncture blood draw and thus have been impractical because they can’t be used with everyone. However, with the kit-on-a-lid-assay (KOALA) microfluidic technology developed by a team of the University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, only one drop of blood is required to detect asthma.

Ask Ms. Scientist: hops and scantrons

What are hops and how are they used in beer production?

Exercise program for elderly reduces injury risks

Modern advancements in medicine have allowed the human population to live longer than ever before. There are currently more elderly citizens on our planet than there have ever been. By definition, a person is referred to as elderly or older if they are at least 65 years old. In 2009, the elderly population in the U.S. consisted of 39.6 million people, or about 13 percent of our nation’s population. This number is expected to almost double by 2030 due to a larger younger population that is expected to live longer.

Wisconsin Institututes for Discovery develop new method of cleaning up oil spills

Imagine, if you will, a slick black surface extending as far as the eye can see, where once-clear water now laps sluggishly and dead fish float. This is the reality imposed upon our environment by oil spills, the disastrous result of many oil-tanker or oil-rig accidents. When a large amount of oil is leaked out into the ocean, it can form a coat on top of the water's surface that poisons and smothers sea creatures—especially those that live on the surface of the water.

Action Project: UW leads in good food system research

Maintaining what nature has to offer us and harmonizing the relationship between nature and humans is the goal of sustainability.

Action Project: Interest in organic movement grows with technology

The word “organic” is a buzzword in the whole foods/go natural movement. Prior to my interview with Erin Silva, associate director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, I had a narrow definition of what “organic” meant. I thought it was just food grown without pesticides typically found at places like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and the farmer’s market.

Ask Ms. Scientist: endangered bananas and hibernation

Dear Ms. Scientist,