Science - The Daily Cardinal

SCIENCE

Football players and flies taking hits for brain research

By Jacob Blitstein | Nov. 19, 2013

Have you ever had a concussion or any other head-related injury resulting in a permanent or temporary change in cognition? Concussions and other Traumatic Brain Injuries are one of the most serious public health problems in the United States. TBIs occur when a force to the head causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull resulting in swelling and sometimes even bleeding in the brain. These injuries are extremely common in falls, car accidents and many sports-related injuries.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Gas Issues

By Michael Leitch | Nov. 19, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

UW challenges invasive species paradigm

By Jon Spike and Donald Radcliffe | Nov. 5, 2013

Invasive species are one of the most important issues facing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems today. No self-respecting ecologist would say otherwise.

SCIENCE

Future of regenerative medicine may include CRISPR gene repair

By Sam Karp and Suma Samudrala | Nov. 5, 2013

A step toward advancement in regenerative medicine by improving the commonly used gene repair technique was made possible by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Morgridge Institute for Research and Northwestern University.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Real-life vampires and death scares

By Michael Leitch | Nov. 5, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

Surveying the trees of Flambeau Forest

By Donald Radcliffe | Oct. 15, 2013

I spent a month this summer living in a cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

SCIENCE

Rusty crayfish kept at bay in Wisconsin

By Brita Larson and By James Lanser | Oct. 1, 2013

Imagine an underwater army of crustaceous lumberjacks chopping down the kelp forests on the floor bed of lakes with their large pincers. This isn’t something out of a science-fiction movie. This is how the Rusty Crayfish, an invasive species from Ohio River Basin, essentially deforested Sparkling Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin.

SCIENCE

Ask Mr. Scientist: Yellowed Books and Sea Monkeys

By Michael Leitch | Oct. 1, 2013

Dear Mr. Scientist,

SCIENCE

Wisconsin Science Festival pushes understanding of science and art

By Nambirajan Rangarajan | Oct. 1, 2013

On most Saturday mornings, the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery building bears a deserted look. The long lines for coffee are missing, and most of the plush couches in the ground floor hallway are unoccupied.

CAMPUS NEWS

NPR host Ira Flatow argues 'science is sexy'

By Megan Stoebig | Sep. 27, 2013

Ira Flatow, host of National Public Radio’s “Science Friday,” described how science has become “sexy” in America as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Wisconsin Science Festival.

SCIENCE

Future of renewable energy looks promising with new solar cells

By Nambirajan Rangarajan | Sep. 18, 2013

You’ve seen them on wristwatches, pocket calculators, traffic signals and maybe even on top of campus buildings — futuristic-looking, sleek panels of metal facing the sun. Solar cells are becoming integral to our lives as the technology used to harness arguably the cleanest energy source available —the sun.

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.