Cocaine disrupts the balance of microbes in the guts of mice, part of a cycle of waxing and waning neurochemicals that can enhance the drug’s effects in the brain. But the same chemicals may also be harnessed to prevent addiction, according to new research.
Campus news
Study shows differences between brains of primates — humans, other apes and monkeys — are small but significant
The cellular differences between these species may illuminate steps in their evolution and how those differences can be implicated in disorders, such as autism and intellectual disabilities, seen in humans.
Wild primate virus has pandemic potential should it jump the species barrier, shows study
New research demonstrates the potential for a family of viruses in African primates to jump the species barrier to humans.
Monitoring an invasion: Where are jumping worms now?
Invasive jumping worms threaten soil health in Wisconsin, including in Dane County where the population has infested the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum. Brad Herrick leads crews of volunteers to survey for the worms so that researchers can study their movements and possibly find ways to halt their spread.
New study allows scientists to test therapeutics for rare disease affecting young children
The team used CRISPR gene editing technology to create in rat embryos the mutations that lead to HSP. This allowed them to study how the disease progresses from early development and monitor the progression of symptoms after birth.
Avian influenza persists as migration peaks
The persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild and domestic birds through the summer months points to a likely rise in cases this fall, according to Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Director Keith Poulsen.
Chancellor Mnookin tours dairy farm, highlights research efforts
The visit to two dairy farms highlighted the Dairy Innovation Hub, a partnership that conducts research and offers support to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
How a small, unassuming fish helps reveal gene adaptations
New UW–Madison research sheds light on the genetic basis by which stickleback populations inhabiting ecosystems near each other developed a strong immune response to tapeworm infections, and how some populations later came to tolerate the parasites.
See-through zebrafish, new imaging method put blood stem cells in high-resolution spotlight
This new technique will aid researchers as they develop therapies for blood diseases and cancers.
New injectable gel offers promise for tough-to-treat brain tumors
UW–Madison researchers have developed a powerful immunity-boosting postoperative treatment that could transform the odds for patients with glioblastoma.