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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.

Pencil

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.

UW-Madison Morgridge Center names Kathy Cramer new interim director

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Morgridge Center for Public Service named Kathy Cramer interim director, according to a Wednesday university release.

Column: Softball deserves more attention

You should love softball.

Ethnic Studies units to look at future of department, programs

The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters and Science Ethnic Studies units plan to hold the first public meet-and-greet event Wednesday, aimed at exploring the department’s future.

Sustainable Light Bulb

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.

Sad banana

Ask Ms. Scientist: endangered bananas and hibernation

Dear Ms. Scientist,

UW-Madison researchers develop new technology to diagnose asthma

Students and researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed an easier, cheaper and more efficient way to diagnose asthma, according to university news release.

Faculty to hold public discussion of Ethnic Studies merger

As part of a continuing debate about combining multiple educational programs into one ethnic studies department, faculty are holding a free, public meeting Wednesday April 30, according to a Tuesday release.

Board of Regents votes on budget transparency

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents met Friday and voted on measures aimed at improving transparency in the UW System’s budget.

UW-Madison fosters advanced computing in research with National Science Foundation

University of Wisconsin-Madison is now using advanced computing for quantitative research with support from the National Science Foundation, which works to connect scholars and technology, according to a Thursday release.