Science - The Daily Cardinal

SCIENCE

Plants eavesdrop as a means of defense

By Danielle Smith | Sep. 17, 2013

Imagine yourself in a situation in which you and everyone surrounding you are being attacked by an unknown predator. You hear signs of chaos all around you and your fight-or-flight instincts are gearing up to protect you from impending doom. You are just about to plan your miraculous escape when you notice your feet are stuck planted to the ground, and you are incapable of fleeing the scene. What would you do to protect yourself?

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Magnetic Fields and Batteries

By Michael Leitch | Sep. 17, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

Hair cells may be new hearing loss cure

By Zhengzheng Zhang | Sep. 3, 2013

Hearing is an essential function that enables people to take part in daily communication, appreciate music and nature, and enjoy their life.

SCIENCE

Childhood stresses may trigger the later onset of anxiety in girls

By Danielle Smith | Sep. 2, 2013

When exposed to high-stress situations, the normal physiological reaction is for the body to release a hormone called cortisol, which prepares people for a fight-or-flight response to the stressor. However, according to a study done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the laboratory of psychology professor Seth Pollak, this reaction does not occur in girls who experienced physical abuse in their developmental years.

SCIENCE

Stem cell research shows promise of memory restoration

By Nia Sathiamoorthi | Jul. 9, 2013

You simply can’t remember where you put your keys. It’s fine, happens to everybody and you are just getting older. Good-humoredly, you even start calling yourself “absentminded.” Then, one day, you cannot remember your boss’s last name. You start forgetting the stores you’ve been to, where you went for vacation last year, or what your favorite meal is. You forget how to use the bathroom or when to eat, and the people you care about fade in and out of your memory.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Of insect repellent and transition lenses

By Michael Leitch | Jul. 9, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

UW to offer massive open online courses

By Ryan Reszel and Carolyn Nave | Jul. 9, 2013

Classrooms have changed significantly over the past 20 years as new and improved technologies become available, and these changes may come with consequences that affect students and faculty alike.

SCIENCE

Rust-less steel and nano-paint future of UW Engineering

By Ali Branscombe | Jun. 3, 2013

Most people on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus walk past the old, three-story brick building along Lakeshore path without a second thought. On the outside, it looks like an abandoned warehouse used for storing lab equipment or boats from Lake Mendota in the winter. What is actually inside is more surprising: a nano-technology development lab that could change life as we know it.

SCIENCE

Microbes May Set Squid's Internal Clock

By Nia Sathiamoorthi | Jun. 3, 2013

Growing up in an antibiotic age has predisposed many of us to think of all bacteria as harbingers of death and disease. We see them as things to be wiped, washed and scrubbed away. But for the past decade or so, the research, consistently proving the essentiality of microorganisms to human life, has us changing our tune. Because the truth is, we live in a bacterial world. Microorganisms in and on our body outnumber human cells 10 to one, and it can be argued we are more bacteria than we are human. And instead of threatening us, they keep us healthy by supporting basic physiological processes from digestion to defense.

SCIENCE

Researchers closely watching new strain of avian flu

By Matthew Kleist | May. 20, 2013

It takes two things to create a human influenza pandemic: the introduction of a novel virus for which the world’s population has no immune response, and the adaptation of that novel virus to spread easily from human to human.

CAMPUS NEWS

100 years later: Vitamin A’s birthday

By Clay Thomas and Sara Anderson | May. 5, 2013

Anyone who eats ice cream, eggs, mango or sweet potato is getting some of their necessary intake of Vitamin A. Even pumpkin pie contains Vitamin A. Because Vitamin A is found in many different foods, either naturally or supplemented, the consequences of not having enough are rarely a topic of discussion.

CAMPUS NEWS

Arms of spiral galaxies longer lived than once believed

By Matthew Kleist | May. 5, 2013

The Milky Way is only one of, by some estimates, 500 billion galaxies in the universe. Its distinctive shape, a central disk with arms reaching out like those of an octopus, make it one of the most common types of galaxies, a spiral galaxy; about 70 percent of nearby galaxies share this shape.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: insect repellent and transitioning glasses

By Bill Anderson and Michael Leitch | May. 5, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

Framing of science may affect attitudes

By Andrew Haffner and Matthew Kleist | Apr. 23, 2013

A new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests the way science information is framed affects a person’s attitude toward it and willingness to seek out more information.

SCIENCE

Autism diagnosis may be linked to behavior

By Alex Moe | Apr. 23, 2013

The results of a recent study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center show the age at which a child is diagnosed with autism is correlated with the behavior he or she exhibits. This finding sheds light on a disorder that remains very elusive to researchers and psychologists.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Earthworms and wrinkly fingers

By Michael Leitch | Apr. 23, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

CAMPUS NEWS

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center receives renewed funding

By Kristen Andersen | Apr. 23, 2013

On the western edge of campus, a new building now decorates the horizon. The Wisconsin Energy Institute officially opened its doors to the public April 5 for a grand opening that included demonstrations for all ages and a career fair.

SCIENCE

Video game re-sellers are adapting to digital downloads

By Carolyn Nave | Apr. 23, 2013

Video games are everywhere. Anyone who owns a smartphone, tablet, computer or gaming console has access to countless video games and a few ways of getting them. Going out to a video game store used to be the only way to buy a new game, but with the advent of Internet gaming, a player can pay for and download a new game in seconds. How is this affecting local video game retailers?

CAMPUS NEWS

Researchers work to use stem cells to build new body parts

By Zhengzheng Zhang | Apr. 17, 2013

Organ regeneration, a phrase usually found only in science fiction movies, is closer to reality thanks to a new generation of bioengineering scientists. They are investigating how stem cells develop into tissues or organs and mimic the growth process in the lab environment.

CAMPUS NEWS

UW nuclear fusion celebrates milestone

By Danielle Smith | Apr. 10, 2013

Nuclear fusion education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has reached a major milestone after the graduation of the 400th Ph.D. student since the start of the program in 1963. While the number of people researching nuclear fusion is relatively small at UW-Madison, the university is consistently one of the strongest fusion programs in the country.