Science
Post by Christie Taylor on 5/1/2013 2:20pm
News:
*Nature: If you restore it, the pike will come.
*WSJ (paywall): Across UW System, undergraduate research is an emerging tool for growth.
*WSJ (paywall): New science poised to bring back lost species, including Wisconsin’s passenger pigeons.
*Guardian: Madison professor Deb Blum on science writing: “I’m a neurotic over-researcher.”
*RJT: Groups plant trees to help endangered birds.
*UW: Vaterite: Crystal within a crystal helps resolve old puzzle.
*UW: New ‘green’ method to help upgrade biomass waste into valuable chemicals.
*UW: Stem cell transplant restores learning, memory in mice.
*WSJ (paywall): Conservationists cry foul as DNR reconsiders conservation plan, coniders adding ATVs, for Badger Ammunition lands.
Events:
Tonight:
Wednesday Nite at the Lab: A new energy paradigm: Microgrids. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Tuesday, May 7
Armchair Field Trips: Badger Army Ammunition Plant: Past, Present & Future. 7 p.m., McFarland Public Library. Free!
Armchair Field Trips: Salamanders of Wisconsin (with live salamanders). Stoughton Public Library. Free!
Wednesday, May 8
Wednesday Nite at the Lab: Exploring South Pole science: a hands-on look at the IceCube observatory. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
To submit your science-related event, e-mail science@dane101.com
Post by Christie Taylor on 4/17/2013 1:36pm
News
*MJS (paywall): Autism often diagnosed late.
*DNR: Spring rains push manure storage facilities close to overflowing.
*ACS: Tiny plastic particles polluting Great Lakes.
*MJS (paywall): Manure spraying takes hold on some Wisconsin farms -- and not everybody’s happy.
*UW: New bird flu strain seen to be adapting to mammals, humans.
*UW: Microbe regulates its host’s circadian rhythms.
*WSJ: DNR urged not to remove Blanding’s turtle from endangered species list.
*SFC: Conservation hearing attendees vote against use of dogs in wolf hunt.
*Esq: The greatness of grilled cheese, according to a food scientist.
Events
Tonight:
Wednesday Nite at the Lab: Viral takeover of host cell functions: What we can learn about both infection and normal cells. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Nerd Nite: Short presentations in a fun atmosphere. This month: astrophysics research at the South Pole, the mysteries of “numbers” radio stations, and an introduction to roller derby. 8 p.m., High Noon Saloon. Free!
The Earth from Space: A photo and video tour of our observations of the Earth from above. 6:30 and 7:45 p.m., Memorial High School planetarium. $2.50.
Post by Christie Taylor on 4/3/2013 12:37pm
News:
*MJS (paywall): Pipeline repairs in Jackson Marsh to go forward without permit.
*MST: Wisconsin DNR “stunned” by Chippewa walleye declarations.
*UW: Puzzle of how spiral galaxies get their arms comes into focus.
*WSJ (paywall): East Side city well may be closed this summer due to contested safety concerns.
*WSJ (paywall): Madison Kipp-Corp asks governor’s office to interfere in lawsuit, DNR official says.
*DNR: Late winter takes toll on owl population, bringing new species south to Wisconsin.
Events:
Tonight:
Wednesday Nite at the Lab: Celebrating 50 years of newborn screening. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Post by Christie Taylor on 3/27/2013 1:00pm
This week in science history:
March 28, 1979: The Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant experienced a partial core meltdown, releasing radioactive gas into the surrounding air. It remains the worst U.S. nuclear incident to date.
March 30, 239 BC: The sighting of Halley’s Comet was recorded by Chinese astronomers.
April 1, 1960: The U.S. launches the world’s first weather satellite, and also the first satellite to transmit television signals from space, TIROS 1.
April 3, 1973: Motorola General Manager and inventor Martin Cooper made the first cell phone call, with a 30 ounce “brick,” to a rival working in AT&T’s Bell Labs.
News:
*MJS (paywall): U.S.S. Badger allowed to dump coal ash for two more years.
*TPE: Wis. tribes run fish hatcheries for everyone.
*UW: Researchers discover the brain origins of variation in pathological anxiety.
*WSJ (paywall): Donations to Wisconsin’s Endangered Resources hits 10-year low.
*UW: Research uses muscle activity to move virtual objects.
*WSJ (paywall): State senator’s bill aims to reel in ‘rotten invasive’ sea lamprey.
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!
Post by Christie Taylor on 3/13/2013 1:00pm
This week in science history:
March 13, 1781: William Herschel discovered Uranus.
March 16, 1942: First V-2 rocket test launch: the rocket exploded at lift-off.
March 17, 1950: First synthesis of element 98, Californium.
March 18, 1965: Soviet Cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov performed the first ever spacewalk.
March 20, 1987: The FDA approved the anti-AIDS drug AZT.
News & blogs:
*JohnHawks: Binge learning in online courses.
*UW: Small differences in how a technology is defined can make a big difference in how the public feels about it.
*UW: ‘Ninja parasites’ elude immune response through molecular mimicry.
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: Neuroscience in education. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Post by Christie Taylor on 3/6/2013 1:02pm
This week in science history:
March 7, 2009: The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like exoplanets, was launched.
March 9, 1960: Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implanted a shunt he invented in a patient for the first time, allowing the patient to receive regular kidney dialysis for the first time.
March 10, 1977: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.
News:
*SN: "How do lasers work?" or, "Not your father's lightsaber."
*TCT (paywall): Development-snagging snake due to come off protected species list.
*UW: Man-made material pushes the bounds of superconductivity.
*UW: Analytical trick may accelerate cancer diagnosis.
*TCT (paywall): Mining bill author admits it will cause environmental harm.
*MJS (paywall): Owner of proposed Gogebic mine has longstanding groundwater problems in Illinois operation.
*TCT (paywall): Sequester puts research funds in peril.
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: Bad cell division doesn’t always lead to cancer. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Nerd Nite: Informal talks in a social setting. Topics this month include game theory’s role in ordinary life, insect reproduction, and how science and creativity relate. 8 p.m., High Noon Saloon. Free!
Post by Christie Taylor on 2/20/2013 3:30pm
This week in science history:
Feb. 20, 1986: The Soviet Union launched the first piece of space station Mir.
Feb. 23, 1954: The first children received Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine. The first test would eventually involve 2 million children in 44 states.
Feb. 26, 1616: The Catholic Church ordered Galileo Galilei not to teach or defend the Copernican theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo’s continued defense of Copernicus would eventually lead, in 1633, to his being found guilty of heresy, his works banned, and a house arrest sentence that would last the rest of his life.
News:
*UW: Secrets of Wisconsin 2010 meteorite revealed.
*UW: Trolls win: Rude comments dim the allure of science online.
*WSJ (paywall): DNR plans to turn wildlife field trip destination into hunting and fishing training center.
*DNR: Statement on the Mackenzie Environmental Education Center.
*LCT (paywall): DNR wants input on removing barn owl, snowy egret, others from endangered species list.
*UW: Production process doubles speed and efficiency of flexible electronics.
*RJT: Climate experts optimistic, a year after the drought.
*SN: Why are nanomaterials so special?
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: Fallout: The Exhibit. 7 - 8:15 p.m., Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall. Free!
Consciousness Irreducible: What is consciousness, and what does it mean? A look at integrated information theory (IIT) and its implications. 7 p.m., Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Free!
Planetarium Show: Stars, Inside and Out: How do stars form, and what makes them shine? 6:30 and 7:45, Madison Metropolitan School District Planetarium. $2.50.
Post by Christie Taylor on 2/13/2013 3:00pm
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This week in science history:
Feb. 13, 1990: Voyager I sent back its last photographs: a series of images of Solar System objects that would later be combined into one famous image called the Family Portrait. These images would also be the source of the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image of Earth.
Feb. 14, 2003: Dolly the sheep was euthanized after suffering from arthritis and lung disease. She was six years old, and the first animal to be cloned from an adult cell (hers was a mammary gland cell).
Feb. 19, 1955: Element 101 (mendelevium) was first synthesized at the University of California-Berkeley.
Feb. 20, 1986: The Soviet Union launched the first piece of space station Mir.
News:
*MJS (paywall): Humane Society of U.S. sues to restore wolf protection.
*WG: Mining bill sparks race to save ‘greatest lake.’
*TPE: How the mining bill sacrifices Wisconsin waters.
*UW: Warming ‘seesaw’ turns extra sunlight into global greenhouse.
*UW: Research quest aims to cure hearing loss at its root.
*UW: Advanced MRI technique moves practical Alzheimer’s diagnosis closer to reality.
*SB: Wisconsin scientists help search for alien life.
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!
Post by Christie Taylor on 2/6/2013 5:00pm
This week in science history:
Feb. 6, 1971: Astronaut Alan Shepard played the first game of golf on the Moon.
Feb. 9, 1996: The element copernicium, originally called ununbium (for its 112 protons), was first created by German scientists.
Feb. 13, 1990: Voyager I sent back its last photographs: a series of images of Solar System objects that would later be combined into one famous image called the Family Portrait. These images would also be the source of the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image of Earth.
News:
*UW: Finding challenges accepted view of MS: Unexpectedly, damaged nerve fibers survive.
*WSJ: Contemplating a world without birdsong.
*UW: Response and recovery in brain may predict mental well-being.
*UW: UW-Madison physicist wins image competition with close-up of sea urchin teeth (pictured above).
*BH: UW researcher fakes data, confesses.
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!
Post by Christie Taylor on 1/30/2013 3:00pm
This week in science history:
- Feb. 1, 2003: The space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
- Feb. 2, 1923: Leaded gasoline, containing tetraethyl lead (TEL), is introduced to consumers. Its use would be banned in the mid-1980s after being linked to pollution and lead poisoning, especially in children.
- Feb. 5, 1897: The state of Indiana voted to set pi = 3.2. After intervention by a mathematics professor, the bill was delayed indefinitely and never became law.
News:
*UW: Chance finding reveals new control on blood vessels in developing brain.
*UW: Four-legged patients -- and their blood donors.
*TDP: Environmental impact of Rhythm & Booms fireworks still to be determined.
*MJS (paywall): Petroleum refiner considers shipping crude oil on Lake Superior.
*PRN: Wisconsin mine wins bat conservation award.
