Life
New recipes for origin of life may point way to distant, inhabited planets
Life on a faraway planet — if it’s out there — might not look anything like life on Earth.
Sep 20, 2023
Writer at Science Blog
University of Wisconsin
Contributor
Social Sciences
Fewer people going to prison -- except white women
The risk of incarceration for Black men in the United States was cut nearly in half between 1999 and 2019, according to a new study that assesses the impact of falling rates of imprisonment in each of the 50 states.
Sep 19, 2023
Life
Newly described ancient reptile named in language of First Nations where fossils were found
Beesiiwo cooowuse was a squat, herbivorous relative of modern crocodiles and birds that had a beak-like mouth and roamed the globe between 250 and 227 million years ago.
Apr 20, 2023
Health
New understanding of ‘superantigens’ could lead to improved staph infection treatments
The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus has long been known to cause infections in humans, ranging from mild skin infections to pneumonia to more serious infections of the heart.
Jul 22, 2022
Health
Unexpected link between most common cancer drivers may yield more effective drugs
Two of the most common genetic changes that cause cells to become cancerous, which were previously thought to be separate and regulated by different cellular signals, are working in concert, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Jul 8, 2022
Earth & Environment
Altered gene helps plants absorb more carbon dioxide, produce more useful compounds
Every day, plants around the world perform an invisible miracle. They take carbon dioxide from the air and, with the help of sunlight, turn it into countless chemicals essential to both plants and humans.
Jun 9, 2022
Earth & Environment
Ancient example of modern global warming was too hot for tiny, important ocean creatures
During another time in which Earth warmed rapidly in conjunction with a spike in atmospheric carbon similar to our modern climate, seawater temperature and…
Mar 11, 2022
Life
‘Super pest’ Colorado potato beetle has the genetic resources to sidestep our attacks
The Colorado potato beetle has evolved resistance to more than 50 different kinds of insecticides, making the insect a “super pest” that wreaks havoc on potatoes around the world.
Feb 21, 2022
Life
Microbes help hibernating animals recycle nutrients, maintain muscle through winter
To get through a long winter without food, hibernating animals — like the 13-lined ground squirrel — can slow their metabolism by as much as 99 percent, but they still need important nutrients like proteins to maintain muscles while they hibernate.
Jan 31, 2022
Health
Boosting one gene in the brain’s helper cells slows Alzheimer’s progression in mice
Increasing the expression of one gene in cells that assist the brain’s neurons protects neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.
Jan 11, 2022
Health
Window to access legal abortion may close before many women know they are pregnant
More than one in five women experience irregular menstrual cycles that could keep them from learning they are pregnant until it may be too late to access an abortion under some state laws in effect or under consideration, a new study shows.
Dec 28, 2021
Life
Shark antibody-like proteins neutralize COVID-19 virus, help prepare for future coronaviruses
Small, unique antibody-like proteins known as VNARs — derived from the immune systems of sharks — can prevent the virus that causes COVID-19, its variants, and related coronaviruses from infecting human cells, according to a new study published Dec.
Dec 17, 2021
Physics
Magellanic Stream arcing over Milky Way may be five times closer than previously thought
Our galaxy is not alone. Swirling around the Milky Way are several smaller, dwarf galaxies — the biggest of which are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, visible in the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere.
Nov 23, 2021
Health
Poor health threatens voting in older age. Absentee and early voting can help maintain turnout.
Poor health — not aging itself — decreases older Americans’ likelihood of voting, a new study finds, but early and absentee voting can help people continue voting even when they experience health challenges.
Nov 4, 2021