*MJS (paywall): DNR proposes few alterations to wolf hunting rule.

*DNR: Wolf hunt closes in fourth zone.

*UW: Key lessons from the first hunt: harvesting wolves may be easier than anticipated.

*TC: SS Badger loses bid in Congress to dump coal ash in Lake Michigan.

*UW: Scientists create roadmap to metabolic reprogramming for aging.

*UW: Virtually healthy: ‘CAVE’ lets researchers experience patients’ behavior.

*UW: Researchers trying to get computers to see as humans do.

*TPE: Key fact, science missing from pro-mining legislator’s release.

*WRT: Pine bark beetles, along with death of evergreens, on the rise in Wisconsin.

*RSJ: Climate change and our native species.

*WRT: Natural Resources Board votes to restrict hunting in state parks following public outcry.

*MJS (paywall): Democrats’ mining bill would give DNR 2 years to review proposals, move contested case hearings to after DNR decision.

*ABC: Wisconsin classroom has octopus as a pet. (video)

Events!
Ongoing until April 1: Fallout: The mixed blessing of radiation and the public health. Historical exhibit documenting the early uses and misuses of radiation and its evolution to bombs, power generation, and biomedical devices. Ebling Library, 3rd Floor Gallery. Free!

Tonight:
Wednesday Nite at the Lab: We are all lichens: Symbiosis and the restructuring of individuality. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!

A Turing test for free will: The role of randomness and determinism in free will, and the inherent unpredictability of our decisions. With MIT’s Seth Lloyd. 7 p.m., Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Free!

Thursday:
Discovery! Thursday: How the turtle got its shell: Evolutionary biology, and how biologists approach it. 6:30 p.m., Lakeview Library. Free!

Friday:
SoundWaves: The consequences of sequences: Scientists and musicians join forces to explain why patterns are so important in nature, covering disease progression, memory retention, and self expression. 7 p.m., Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Free!

Wednesday, Dec. 19

Wednesday Nite at the Lab: Living longer through hormone replacement therapy. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!

Planetarium show: Season of Light: Holiday traditions and the discovery of many basic astronomy concepts. 6:30 and 7:45 p.m., Madison Metropolitan School District Planetarium, Memorial High School. $2.50.

Christie Taylor

Contributor

Christie Taylor (@ctaylsaurus) covers science, environment, and, depending on the season, state politics for dane101. She verbs a lot of nouns, including rollerskates, radio, and Kurt Vonnegut. A Madison native, she's not sure she'll ever quite manage to leave Wisconsin, and that's just fine by her. Contact her at christie@dane101.com.