science wire

Clinical trial: More evidence that cancer drug treats macular degeneration
The second year of data from a nationwide, federally funded trial continues to show that the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) is an effective and economical treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT) study, published recently in the Journal of Ophthalmology, built on the one-year results that came out a year ago.

Educational games to train middle-schoolers’ attention, empathy
Two years ago, at a meeting on science and education, Richard Davidson challenged video game manufacturers to develop games that emphasize kindness and compassion instead of violence and aggression.

Unsafe at any speed: Even for driving pros, distractions increase crash risk
The ringing cell phone you're reaching to answer. The text message that demands a reply now. The GPS you're trying to program as you're frantically rushing to your destination.

UW-Madison researcher wins Klaus Biemann Medal
Josh Coon's work has weight. It's right there in the name: mass spectrometry. It's there in the results, too, enabling science by giving researchers an ever-sharper understanding of the molecules that make up living things. "It greatly broadens the scope of biological questions you can ask," Coon says.

Networking pioneer Landweber named to Internet Hall of Fame
The decision to put Lawrence Landweber in the "Innovators" circle of the newly-created Internet Hall of Fame is not likely one that cost the nominating committee any sleep.

New round of federal funding received for $85 million medical isotope project
The Morgridge Institute for Research has received a $20.6 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to support development of a new process and manufacturing plant for a medical isotope needed by tens of thousands of U.S. patients daily.

At smallest scale, liquid crystal behavior portends new materials
Liquid crystals, the state of matter that makes possible the flat screen technology now commonly used in televisions and computers, may have some new technological tricks in store.

Experts suggest steps to stop spread of resistant corn rootworms
The discovery that more Western corn rootworms are resistant to the toxin contained in widely planted transgenic corn has sparked a warning that farmers must change tactics or lose a valuable management tool against a traditional corn pest. In a March 5 letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, 22 entomologists working on corn rootworm suggested changes to prolong the utility of transgenic Bt corn.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory explores origin of cosmic rays
Although cosmic rays were discovered 100 years ago, their origin remains one of the most enduring mysteries in physics. Now, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory , a massive detector in Antarctica, is honing in on how the highest energy cosmic rays are produced. "Although we have not discovered where cosmic rays come from, we have taken a major step towards ruling out one of the leading predictions," said IceCube principal investigator and University of Wisconsin-Madison physics professor Francis Halzen.

Changing brains for the better; article documents benefits of multiple practices
Practices like physical exercise, certain forms of psychological counseling and meditation can all change brains for the better, and these changes can be measured with the tools of modern neuroscience, according to a review article now online at Nature Neuroscience. The study reflects a major transition in the focus of neuroscience from disease to well being, says first author Richard Davidson , professor of psychology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Is media-driven "pseudo-reality" the future of U.S. politics?
In the hyperpolarized world of the 2012 election, misinformation among Americans remains widespread, a new University of Wisconsin-Madison study finds. One in five Americans, for example, still believe that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, while almost seven in 10 Americans mistakenly think Sarah Palin was the first to say "I can see Russia from my house." Obama is a Christian, of course, and the "seeing Russia from my house" quote originated from a "Saturday Night Live" skit with Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin.

Stem cell symposium to address brain, nervous system
Scientific leaders in the use of stem cells to solve scientific and medical problems will gather Wednesday, April 11 at the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute in Fitchburg, just south of Madison.

UW-Madison research support continues growth arc
The latest statistics from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) show that scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison continue to be among the nation's most successful at securing support for their research.

Many lower-skilled men find employment precarious
The U.S. unemployment rate of about 8 percent masks a far greater problem: the precarious situation of working-age men with modest education and few job skills, new analysis from the La Follette School of Public Affairs suggests.

International commission offers road map to sustainable agriculture
An independent commission of scientific leaders from 13 countries today (Wednesday, March 28) released a detailed set of recommendations to policymakers on how to achieve food security in the face of climate change.

Wisconsin technology powers California microgrid project
California's Santa Rita Jail just got a little more secure this week, thanks to the completion of a $14 million “microgrid” project that gives the facility its own autonomous power supply — a feat rooted in University of Wisconsin-Madison technology.

Twelve professors receive Kellett Mid-Career Awards
Twelve outstanding faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been named winners of this year's Kellett Mid-Career Awards.

UW-Madison invention basis for top honor in clean-energy competition
A new company built to commercialize a green-energy discovery at University of Wisconsin-Madison earned the top honor — and a check for $100,000 — at this month's Chicago Clean Energy Challenge. The firm, named Hyrax Energy , is developing a process to make sugar from cellulose, the tough carbohydrate that gives structure to plants.

Assessing innovative intervention for children with cerebral palsy
Five-year-old Lauren's cerebral palsy used to make eating meals an ordeal, going to bed a challenge, and crawling an impossibility. But her new baclofen pump implant helps loosen and tone her muscles, making daily activities much easier to manage for Lauren and her family. "She can crawl upstairs now, allowing my 71-year-old mother...

Study pinpoints effects of different doses of an ADHD drug; finds higher doses may harm learning
New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The results parallel a 1977 finding that a low dose of the drug boosted cognitive performance of children with ADHD, but a higher dose that reduced their hyperactivity also impaired their performance on a memory test.

UW law professor offers look at FDA from the inside out
UW Law Professor R. Alta Charo was senior policy adviser to the commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration from August 2009 until June 2011.

Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Named 2012 Laboratory of the Year
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, the innovative 330,000-sqaure-foot public-private facility that opened just more than a year ago on the UW–Madison campus, has been named the 2012 Laboratory of the Year.

Your brain on emotion
Building on more than 30 years of cutting-edge brain research, a new book by UW-Madison psychology and psychiatry professor Richard J. Davidson offers an inside look into how emotions are coded in our brains and our power to control them.

From Adam’s housecat to zydeco: After five decades, Dictionary of American Regional English completed
From Adam's housecat to zydeco: After five decades, Dictionary of American Regional English completed By Stacy Forster What is a Maine-born doctor to do when a patient in Pennsylvania compl

Surprising diversity at a synapse hints at complex diversity of neural circuitry
A new study reveals a dazzling degree of biological diversity in an unexpected place — a single neural connection in the body wall of flies. The finding raises several interesting questions about the importance of structure in the nervous system and the evolution of neural wiring.

Journal boycott gaining steam at UW-Madison
They are mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore. That describes an emerging response from more than 6,000 scientists to Elsevier , publisher of more than 2,500 scientific journals, including Cell and The Lancet. As the largest journal publisher in the world, Elsevier is able to command hefty subscription fees at university libraries.

Does history repeat? Using the past to improve ecological forecasting
To better predict the future, Jack Williams is looking to the past. “Environmental change is altering the composition and function of ecological communities,” says Williams, the Bryson Professor of Climate, People, and the Environment in the UW–Madison geography department. Williams also directs the Center for Climatic Research in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Proposed hunt poorly designed, says UW wolf expert
Legislation outlining a proposed state wolf hunt is likely to hurt wolf populations while failing to resolve existing conflicts with humans, says a UW–Madison wolf expert.

Mother of pearl tells a tale of ocean temperature, depth
Mother of pearl or nacre, such as this from a New Zealand Paua shell, is one of nature's wonder materials. Made by a host of mollusks, the material has proven to be an accurate barometer of environmental conditions as signatures of both water temperature and water depth reside in the material, according to new research by UW-Madison professor of physics and chemistry Pupa Gilbert.

Howard Zimmerman, pioneer in organic chemistry, dies at 85
Howard Zimmerman, a professor of chemistry from 1960 until his retirement in 2010, died on Saturday, Feb.

Lovelorn liars leave linguistic leads
Online daters intent on fudging their personal information have a big advantage: most people are terrible at identifying a liar.

Calories drive earlier puberty
Environmental pollutants, eating habits, lack of exercise and genetic traits have all been raised as possible causes of earlier puberty onset in girls in recent years.

Smallest tools could give biggest results in bone repair
When William Murphy works with some of the most powerful tools in biology, he thinks about making tools that can fit together.

Neurons from stem cells could replace mice in botulinum test
Using lab-grown human neurons, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have devised an effective assay for detecting botulinum neurotoxin, the agent widely used to cosmetically smooth the wrinkles of age and, increasingly, for an array of medical disorders ranging from muscle spasticity to loss of bladder control.

Roundabouts emerging as the ideal intersection between driver safety and efficiency
They've become the subject of myriad YouTube "how-to" videos. Entire department of transportation websites explain how to navigate them.

How does the compassionate brain, measured in the lab, predict what occurs in real life?
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are launching a new series of studies to understand how laboratory measures of virtuous qualities such as compassion relate to their behavior in the real world. Richard J. Davidson , founder of the UW's Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) , at the Waisman Center, has received a three-year, $1.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to develop laboratory and real-world measures of virtuous qualities such as altruism and compassion.

The Waisman Center: Decades later, what would Harry think?
Last fall, the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison bid successfully for the same National Institutes of Health core grant that the late Harry Waisman first won 45 years ago. Harry Waisman, left, with colleagues C.S. Reiquam and Nathan J. Smith, examine pathology microscope slides in a research lab.

Suomi remembered for problem-solving ability, drive
Verner Suomi's career — even his life — may not have been as long and illustrious had he not been an inveterate problem solver.

Satellite renamed to honor UW-Madison space pioneer
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have renamed their newest Earth-observing satellite after Verner Suomi, a longtime UW-Madison professor who often is called the father of satellite meteorology.

Insomnia is a major health problem
Insomnia is a serious medical condition that should be treated with evidence-based medicine because it is linked to depression, diabetes, hypertension, drug abuse and even death, according to a review of recent research co-authored by a leading University of Wisconsin-Madison sleep researcher. "This review underscores the fact that insomnia needs to be taken seriously, and that health care providers should routinely ask their patients how they are sleeping," says Ruth Benca , director of the Wisconsin Sleep laboratory and clinic.

With $3.5 million, UW-led consortium will address national freight issues
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $3.5 million grant to the National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) , a consortium led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

New approach to combat intractable bacterial infections
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Study pinpoints Ritalin’s influence
MADISON -Millions of individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are helped by methylphenidate, the stimulant better known as Ritalin. Now researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have pinpointed the area of the brain in which Ritalin does its work. "These drugs are highly effective at controlling the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder for the great majority of patients," says Craig Berridge , a UW psychology professor.

Sensor that may explain working memory
In many cases, a delay occurs between the time you are presented information and the time you respond with an action or decision. Most of us call it a thought, while some scientists call it working memory. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers believe they now understand on the cellular level how working memory holds a piece of information - or thoughts linger.

Study debunks myths about gender and math performance
A major study of recent international data on school mathematics performance casts doubt on some common assumptions about gender and math achievement — in particular, the idea that girls and women have less ability due to a difference in biology. "We tested some recently proposed hypotheses that try to explain a supposed gender gap in math performance and found they were not supported by the data," says Janet Mertz , senior author of the study and a professor of oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Research may yield more compact antennas for military use
While tall, bulky antennas seem like relics in an era of sleek, modern smartphones, they're still an unfortunate necessity for American soldiers.

For Midwesterners, more boxcars mean cleaner air
Shifting a fraction of truck-borne freight onto trains would have an outsized impact on air quality in the Midwest, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

100 years of discovery: Celebrating South Pole research
To mark the centennial of Roald Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole, the IceCube Research Center is hosting an evening of exploration and learning on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 6:30-8:30 at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. A hose caries hot water to the top of an Antarctic drill tower as part of the IceCube project.

Snow in the Rockies, dry summers in the Southwest?
New simulations of summer rains in the arid American Southwest show that they are influenced by the previous winter's snowpack in the Rocky Mountains. Summer rains, called "monsoons," are the predominant source of rain in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, says Michael Notaro , a climate scientist who is associate director at the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Pioneering molecular biologist, formerly at UW-Madison, passes away
Masayasu Nomura, a molecular biologist who studied the structure that forms proteins inside cells at University of Wisconsin-Madison between 1963 and 1984, passed away on Nov.

Global winds could explain record rains, tornadoes
Two talks at a scientific conference this week will propose a common root for an enormous deluge in western Tennessee in May 2010, and a historic outbreak of tornadoes centered on Alabama in April 2011.

David Krakauer nurtures scientific collaboration
David Krakauer, the new director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, discusses his thoughts on "transcience" and scientific collaboration.

Discovery building marks first anniversary with Gold LEED
When the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery celebrates its first birthday this Friday, Dec. 2 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, visitors can learn a new "first" about the building while taking a behind-the-scenes "green" tour or sharing locally sourced cake with Bucky.