Science - The Daily Cardinal

Kevin Barnett works in a lab at the department of energy bioenergy technologies office at UW-Madison to better the procedure for deriving 1,5-pentanediol, a possible substitute for a petroleum-like chemical.

SCIENCE

Cheaper, more sustainable way to produce plastic precursors

By Yingshan Deng | May. 1, 2017

Scientists and engineers at UW-Madison developed an economically feasible process to synthesize a possible substitute for petroleum-derived chemicals from non-edible biomass. This substitute, called 1,5-pentanediol, is a type of alpha, omega-diol that has two alcohol groups attached at the beginning and the end of a long carbon chain, which is mostly synthesized as a byproduct of other commercially produced diols. The research was published this April in the journal, ChemSusChem. “We hope to be able to make larger quantities and volumes and be able to put it in the applications that are currently used for other molecules,” said Zachary Brentzel, a graduate research assistant in college of engineering at UW-Madison and the first author of this paper.

SCIENCE

UW botanist studies extraterrestrial life

By Cayla Guerra | Apr. 24, 2017

How did we get here? This is one of the most deep-seated questions in the human race. It is also David Baum’s, exobiologist in the department of botany at UW Madison, research. Life must have started at some moment when the “soupy mixture” of chemicals and minerals stopped being random and became alive. But what does it mean to be alive?

When journalist Erik Vance tells his stories, he focuses on people so that his audience can better relate to and digest his important scientific messages.

SCIENCE

Science writer in residence places people at center of scientific narratives

By Kai Brito | Apr. 6, 2017

Erik Vance had always loved the ocean, but he couldn’t find a way to create a lasting impact on ocean health. That changed after he began his career as a science writer.

SCIENCE

Sciencecast: Energy Series - Episode 4

By Julie Spitzer and Maggie Liu | Apr. 3, 2017

In the fourth episode of Sciencecast: Energy Series, Paul Wilson, Grainger professor of Nuclear engineering in the Department of Engineering Physics, discusses nuclear energy.

SCIENCE

Ask Ms. Scientist: Diamonds and superbugs

By Jordan Gaal and Maggie Liu | Apr. 3, 2017

What gives a diamond its shine? What is a “superbug”?

SCIENCE

UW progresses in Alexander disease research

By Cayla Guerra | Apr. 3, 2017

Previous research explained the trademark protein accumulation by assuming an Alexander disease patient had a reduced ability to degrade and clear the protein. However, a recent study discovered the rate of GFAP protein degradation is actually increased in the pathology of the disease.

SCIENCE

How PTSD affects sexual assault survivors

By Julie Spitzer | Mar. 15, 2017

Those who experience an emotional trauma are at a greater risk for revictimization due in part to an onset of post traumatic stress disorder.

Newly found microfossils suggest life existed in the hostile, low-oxygen early earth conditions.

SCIENCE

Newly discovered fossils are oldest evidence of life

By Abby Rogerson | Mar. 15, 2017

Four billion years ago, Earth was a hostile place with a thin atmosphere made mainly of carbon dioxide, volcanoes everywhere and oxygen levels too low to support air-breathing organisms. Nonetheless, a recent discovery of 4.28—3.75 billion-year-old microfossils suggests life existed under such conditions.

Listeria, stained green in this image, invades a monkey's uterus during the first trimester of pregnancy.

SCIENCE

Listeria poses risks in early pregnancy

By Yingshan Deng | Mar. 15, 2017

Researchers at the UW-Madison recently found that listeriosis, the infection caused by the foodborne bacteria called Listeria, damages the placenta and results in miscarriages during the early stages of pregnancy in non-human primates.

Barbara Bowers (right) and Barbara King, faculty members of the UW-Madison School of Nursing, recently received national awards for their research advancing health care for the elderly.

SCIENCE

Two nurse-scientists honored

By Yingshan Deng | Mar. 15, 2017

Two UW-Madison School of Nursing faculty members earned awards from the Midwest Nursing Research Society for their research on gerontological nursing.

SCIENCE

Sciencecast: Energy Series - Episode 3

By Julie Spitzer and Maggie Liu | Mar. 13, 2017

In the third episode of Sciencecast: Energy Series, Tim Donohue, the director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, explains biofuels and his ideal "George Jetson" future of clean fuels using biomass.

SCIENCE

Dispelling the concerns, misconceptions of GMOs

By Abby Rogerson | Feb. 27, 2017

Although genetically engineered foods made their first appearance on grocery store shelves back in 1994, they still remain a topic of contention in today’s society. While some believe GE foods are the key to feeding Earth’s growing population, others see them as a threat to human and environmental health. These attitudes are shaped by a myriad of different stakeholders. The consensus of a National Academy of Sciences committee, as noted in their recent report on GE crops, is that no GE food created to date poses a threat to environmental or human health.

SCIENCE

Ask Ms. Scientist: Dizziness and allergies

By Jordan Gaal and Maggie Liu | Feb. 27, 2017

What causes dizziness? How do allergies work?

PODCAST

Sciencecast: Energy Series - Episode 2

By Julie Spitzer and Maggie Liu | Feb. 13, 2017

In the second episode of Sciencecast: Energy Series, the Director of the Midwest energy policy analysis Gary Radloff discusses the intersections of energy research with policy and environmental law.

SCIENCE

How substances affect the human brain and why we become addicted

By Julie Spitzer | Feb. 13, 2017

According to Athena Kjell, a Madison area substance abuse counselor, many individuals start using drugs to suppress emotional disorders like depression or anxiety, but some do so simply for experimentation.

Badgerloop revealed their pod last December at a public event. The 15-foot, 2,100-pound pod did not take an attempt at the test track, but the team received an innovation award for their years' long work.

SCIENCE

Badgerloop wins innovation award

By Julie Spitzer | Jan. 30, 2017

Badgerloop, a team of mostly UW-Madison undergraduate engineering students, won an innovation award at last weekend’s SpaceX Hyperloop competition in California. Badgerloop began after SpaceX released a student Hyperloop competition with hopes to accelerate the implementation of Elon Musk’s idea of futuristic high-speed transportation.

PODCAST

Sciencecast: Energy Series - Episode 1

By Julie Spitzer and Maggie Liu | Jan. 30, 2017

Welcome back to the second installment of Sciencecast: Energy series. Twice a month, we will be examining various aspects of energy and energy-related topics through interviews with UW-Madison experts.

SCIENCE

Ask Ms. Scientist: Solar panels and seeing stars

By Jordan Gaal and Maggie Liu | Jan. 30, 2017

How do solar panels work? What happens when I’m “seeing stars” after I sneeze?

SCIENCE

UW primate research links caloric intake and aging

By Henry Resnikoff | Jan. 30, 2017

“Data from both study locations suggest that the [calorie restriction] paradigm is effective in delaying the effects of aging in nonhuman primates but that the age of onset is an important factor in determining the extent to which beneficial effects of [calorie restriction] might be induced,” Ricki Colman, a senior scientist of the WNPRC, commented on the data from the collaborative effort.

In an interview with the Daily Cardinal, Professor James Lawler explained the uses of equipment housed in his lab.

SCIENCE

UW-Madison professor James Lawler awarded national Astrophysics Prize

By Maggie Chandler | Jan. 20, 2017

A machine with big tubes and a fluctuating meter makes a continuous humming sound and appears to be from a science fiction novel. Lawler just politely smiles and says it is operated by an undergraduate student.