Research

Scientists from the Department of Biochemistry and Department of Chemistry have solved the structure of an enzyme caught in the act of attacking toluene — a chemical derived from wood and oil. The work is important because it provides a glimpse of the mechanics of a process that could be harnessed to help clean up oil spills and create valuable new chemicals.

Professor Armando Ibarra is a tireless advocate for Wisconsin’s Latin@ community, dedicating his teaching and research to ensuring the needs of the state’s Latin@ population are being met. “The best way to do this,” Ibarra says, “Is by having those conversations.” And those conversations always start with a simple question: “What do you want?”

In an abandoned gold m­­­ine one mile beneath Lead, South Dakota, the cosmos quiets down enough to potentially hear the faint whispers of the universe’s most elusive material — dark matter.

A study from the Southern Poverty Law Center shows the number of hate groups in the nation increased for the second straight year to 917 in 2016. There were 892 hate groups in 2015. Of the new groups, nine were in Wisconsin, compared to eight in 2015. Professor of Sociology Pamela Oliver weighs in. 

Plumbing a 90 million-year-old layer cake of sedimentary rock in Colorado, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Northwestern University has found evidence confirming a critical theory of how the planets in our solar system behave in their orbits around the sun.

The discovery promises not only a better understanding of the mechanics of the solar system, but also a more precise measuring stick for geologic time.

A project linking medieval maps showcases the power and potential of a digital platform that English professor Martin Foys has spent years developing — and is now creating a home for here at UW-Madison.

Decades of studies have established a strong link between poverty and child maltreatment.

But identifying connections is only half the battle; uncovering root causes is a key aim of child maltreatment research. A new set of studies published this week and edited by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the first to try to get at the causal mechanisms behind the economic factors that are strongly associated with child maltreatment, either as a risk factor or an outcome.

After spending months in space, quietly orbiting the Earth, the next-generation geosynchronous satellite has broken its silence and sent back its first images. On Jan. 23, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the GOES-16 “first light” true-color images of Earth in high resolution.

Taken from more than 22,000 miles away, GOES-16 offers rapid and striking imagery of the planet and its weather, giving researchers and a host of users an unprecedented look for weather forecast applications.

MIDUS is a national longitudinal study on aging explicitly focused on midlife, including transitions from young adulthood to midlife, and from midlife into old age. While there is a significant body of research that focuses on early childhood and “the twilight years,” what was missing prior to MIDUS was a thorough, in-depth study of what happens to people during midlife, the longest segment of the life course.