Science - The Daily Cardinal

Badger water bottles sit next to an iced drink in the UW-Madison Education Building

SCIENCE

Hydration and health; why water trumps other beverages

By Forrest Ziebell | Dec. 3

Water is a strange player in global health in that it is necessary to live, but provides no real nutrients. Increasing water consumption is often touted as a method for improving health, yet most do not know why this is. Though we hear this advice frequently, few people follow it. Despite water’s documented benefits, research shows that a large portion of the U.S. is chronically dehydrated.

Balster Lab Rain Garden testing facility, Verona, WI.

SCIENCE

Rethinking water management with rain gardens

By Gavin Schopf | Dec. 3

Understanding the unique behavior of water in urban areas begins with understanding two fundamentals. First, hydrogen bonding between atoms makes water molecules stick to one another (cohesion) and other charged surfaces (adhesion). Second, water is polar, making it a “universal solvent.”

Researchers still need to determine if the reversal of Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order led to the increase in geographic mixing of once-distinct strains of COVID-19.

SCIENCE

New data suggests geographic mixing of COVID-19 strains within Wisconsin

By Grace Hodgman | Nov. 30

Genetic sequencing of COVID-19 shows a statewide pattern of geographic mixing between previously distinct strands of the virus from Dane and Milwaukee Counties, according to UW-Madison researchers.

SCIENCE

Dieting downfalls and the promise of a non-diet approach

By Forrest Ziebell | Nov. 19

Change is an exciting thing, and being able to see positive transformations of one’s body is as thrilling a change as any. Whether you are trying to take pounds off or put them on, chances are you have considered following a diet. While some diets are rigid due to biological reasons (e.g. diabetes) or religious grounds — e.g. avoiding pork as a Muslim — many choose to follow them in hopes of achieving dream physiques.

Wisconsin waffles are a popular dining hall option with UW-Madison students.

SCIENCE

How important is breakfast? UW Health says, don’t skip it

By Forrest Ziebell | Nov. 5

From a young age, breakfast being the “most important meal of the day” phrase has been ingrained into our brains. And now, as more and more research about breakfast comes out, scientists have data about how significant eating after waking up is for performance. UW Health says, “it gives your metabolism, your body’s engine, a boost and provides needed energy.” Let’s dig into the science of breakfast.

A coyote trots through the snow in one of Madison's urban green spaces.

SCIENCE

Helping a city of Badgers coexist with their canid neighbors

By Gavin Schopf | Nov. 5

The UWUCP has gained new insights about how red fox and coyote behave in the Madison urban landscape and shared this information with the public to change knowledge, opinions and dialogue surrounding urban canines.

Kristina Schultz shares a moment with her mother Lori.

SCIENCE

Pediatric Cancer Dream Team comes ‘closer than ever to a cure’

By Gavin Schopf | Oct. 15

When Kristina Schultz was little, she wished to be a bone marrow transplant doctor. She wished no child would have to go through what she had and planned to spend the rest of her life working to find a cure.

SCIENCE

‘Curiosity unleashed’: Wisconsin Science Festival continues for 10th year, offering more than 100 virtual events

By Simar Garcha | Oct. 15

The Wisconsin Science Festival will be run virtually this year, offering over 100 events to attendees.

SCIENCE

Nutrition in college: Eat like you mean it

By Forrest Ziebell | Oct. 1

Nutrition is a strange topic. While focus on what we put on our plates has never been greater, widespread misinformation makes dietary decisions for the conscious consumer quite difficult.

SCIENCE

UW researches more effective and inclusive flu vaccine

By Simar Garcha | Oct. 1

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine has conducted research that provided new insights into creating an alternative and more widely inclusive seasonal influenza vaccine.

Dr. Dagmara Antkiewicz places a plate of samples into the qPCR instrument for analysis.

SCIENCE

UW-Madison Wastewater Surveillance Program begins statewide sampling

By Gavin Schopf | Sep. 17

WSLH scientists, in collaboration with the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, are searching fecal matter for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19

SCIENCE

OVCRGE releases statement on graduate research

By Joe Mitchell | Sep. 17

Even though UW-Madison’s in-person instruction will be suspended from Sept. 10-25, students will be allowed to report to their jobs in research labs under strict guidelines, Steven Ackerman, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, said in a press release Thursday.

SCIENCE

How does a COVID-19 test work?

By Joseph Mitchell | Sep. 3

UW-Madison's Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory aims to be able to process 1,200 coronavirus tests per day by the end of September

Pictured is environmental journalist and Beaver Believer Ben Goldfarb.

SCIENCE

‘Dam it! WI is a backward beaver state’

By Gavin Schopf | Apr. 26

In April 2017, a quiet war was being waged over Warner Park’s resident beavers.

SCIENCE

Ideas become reality in UW-Makerspace

By Alberto Kanost and Gavin Schopf | Feb. 27

Engineering can become bogged down by calculations, drawings and theories behind complicated methods and technology. Students pursuing a degree in Engineering are taught how to solve problems and predict things like how much strain certain materials can endure, but some say there is not enough of actually “doing” in real-time — not enough of applying the theory into something that is actionable.

SCIENCE

Coming 'atchya With: Kombucha!

By Ben Brod | Feb. 13

Kombucha is a type of fermented tea applauded for its probiotic health benefits. This beverage finds itself in the same realm as kimchi and yogurt, which is to say that these are all products of the fermentation mechanism. Live cultures of bacteria are responsible for generating kombucha, meaning that upon ingestion of such a drink, you’re going to experience a repopulation of your gut microbiota. This signifies the introduction of a whole new cast of bacteria dedicated to promoting digestion and detox. I like to think of these guys as friendly little micro-fauna.

SCIENCE

UW-Madison mindfulness game contributes to growing understanding of mindfulness benefits

By Alberto Kanost | Feb. 13

A video game, designed and tested by UW-Madison affiliates, facilitating meditation for middle schoolers contributes to a larger conversation on the benefits of mindfulness.

Scientist Andy Peterson works with stem cell cultures at the iPSC Reprogramming and Human Stem Cell Gene Editing Service at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 29, 2018. The service offers CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and the CRISPR-associated protein 9. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)

SCIENCE

Genetic risk scores open a host of concerns and implications

By Alejandra Canales | Jan. 30

Genetic testing is now more accessible, but determining what the results mean from both a scientific and ethical standpoint is still challenging.

SCIENCE

UW-Madison Physics professor awarded fellowship to study atomic clocks, test Einstein’s theories

By Alberto Kanost | Nov. 6, 2019

Shimon Kolkowitz, UW-Madison assistant professor of physics, has been selected to be one of 22 2019 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering to continue his work with u201cultra-precise atomic clocksu201d u2014u00a0 hopefully answering some of the questions following Einsteinu2019s theories.

Dr. Andrea Dutton’s research contributes to a larger picture of the effects of greenhouse gases on global temperatures and subsequent sea-level rise.

SCIENCE

UW Scientist wins grant to further research in climate change

By Lindsey Matthiesen | Oct. 24, 2019

Dr. Andrea Dutton, a research scientist at UW-Madison, received the “Genius Grant” to continue her research on constructing sea levels from 125,000 years ago. The motivation behind her research is to showcase the effects of rising sea levels on communities and educate the public on environmental changes as a result of global warming.