A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has created the strongest form of collagen known to science, a stable alternative to human collagen that could one day be used to treat arthritis and other conditions that result from collagen defects.

An article in Science documents a previously unknown symbiosis between ants and bacteria and provides insights into how leaf-cutter ants have dome to dominate the tropics.

Tomas Prolla is senior author of a new paper that looks at the genetic roots of this type of hearing loss, which is not due to noise exposure.

When Kathy Glass isn’t lacing pepperoni with E. coli, she’s making contaminated cheeses and other deli meats, all in the name of protecting human health

A recent outbreak of illness tied to the consumption of raw (unpasteurized) milk sickened at least 35 people in Wisconsin, most of them children and teens. This has prompted food safety specialists with the University of Wisconsin-Extension to urge consumers to avoid consuming raw milk.

While at the UW-Madison, biochemist Har Gobind Khorana helped crack the genetic code, completing a set of experiments that garnered him a Nobel Prize in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he went on to synthesize the first artificial gene. Now he is being honored at a symposium titled

Nestled within the twisting fungus gardens of leaf-cutter ants exists a complex symbiotic web that has evolved over millions of years. Now, with the help of a major genomic sequencing grant from Roche Applied Science, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be able to analyze these interactions at the molecular scale.

When it comes to regulating nanotechnology, a new study reveals that the views of nanoscientists differ from those of the general public. Researchers found that while the public tends to focus on the benefits – rather than potential environmental and health risks – when making decisions about nanotechnology regulation, scientists mainly focus on potential risks and economic values.

Using the same protein molecule that scientists have used for decades to copy genetic material, researchers have developed a molecular motor for propelling DNA.

Infectious agent known as prions resist almost every method of destruction, from fire and ionizing radiation to chemical disinfectants and autoclaving. Now, however, a team of Wisconsin researchers has found that a common soil mineral, an oxidized from of manganese known as birnessite, can penetrate the prion’s armor and degrade the protein.