University of Wisconsin–Madison

Chemistry

A tree shines yellow near the UW–Madison Arboretum — Each year, as August fades into September here in southern Wisconsin, it always seems to take me by surprise to see the bright greens of spring and summer subtly transition to the goldens and burgundys of autumn. The trees and prairies slowly changing their attire. “But isn’t it too soon?” […]

Why do leaves change color in the fall?

September 12, 2017 by Kelly April Tyrrell

A small 3D molecule, in blue, is fit into the desired site of a 3D model of a target protein. If the docking program can make this fit easily, this small molecule would receive a high docking score. — From anti-cancer to antibiotic, high throughput screening is a powerful method of drug discovery. Researchers identify a target protein and test tens if not hundreds of thousands of chemicals for their ability to inhibit its function in the lab setting. Then, they whittle the chemical pool to a handful of […]

The machines are learning to develop new targeted drug therapies

August 14, 2017 by Sarah Perdue

Food science graduate student Maya Warren serves up a test batch of ice cream in a research lab in Babcock Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison //Photo by Jeff Miller,UW-Madison — July is National Ice Cream Month. UW-Madison graduate and “ice cream scientist,” Maya Warren (perhaps you know her from The Amazing Race?) recently visited Science Friday to break down the meltiness of ice cream.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. ...

July 21, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell

Fireworks light up the night sky over Lake Mendota — It’s firework season in the United States. Independence Day. A celebration of our freedom and sovereignty as a nation. Each year, we stand in awe beneath the brilliant light shows put on across the country, paying homage to our heritage and our history. But how often have you wondered how fireworks are […]

The science of fireworks

July 3, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell