Research

As Earth faces unprecedented climate change, a look into the planetâs deep past may provide vital insights into what may lie ahead. But knowledge of the natural world millions of years ago is fragmented. A 15-year study of a site in Bolivia by a joint U.S.-Bolivia team has provided a comprehensive view of an ancient ecosystem when Earth was much warmer than it is today, and changed how we look at the Andes.

The hunt for dark matter is shifting from particles to waves named after a laundry detergent. Gray Rybka, associate professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.

Much of what can make linking friends scary — insecurity, envy, an instinct to hold tight to the people you love — isn’t new; it’s fundamentally human. But keeping your friends to yourself, what I call “friend hoarding,” is a modern practice. Katherine Stovel, professor and chair of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

Across the animal kingdom, models have vastly underestimated the energy costs of reproduction. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Kelp has vanished from about 80% of the shorelines around which it once grew in Puget Sound, according to a 2023 report from Washington’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance. Megan Dethier, a research professor of biology at the UW and director of the UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories, is quoted.

The $900,000 award — from a collaboration between the Kavli Foundation and the National Science Foundation — will fund work by biology’s Jeff Riffell and atmospheric and climate science’s Joel Thornton. The strengths in climate science, environmental change and neuroscience that span the College of the Environment and the College of Arts and Sciences uniquely positions the UW to bridge these fields and answer novel questions.

New research is shedding light on how war inflicts mortality, displaces families and erodes mental health. Nathalie Williams, professor of sociology and of international studies at the UW, is quoted.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope in Chile has now been equipped with all three of its mirrors, plus a camera for good measure. James Davenport, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. The UW's Željko Ivezić and Mario Jurić, both professors of astronomy, are mentioned.

Success in Gig Harbor comes as more schools are looking to reign in cell phones. Four of the five school districts in Kitsap County now have bans, a pair of which are new this fall. Central Kitsap, the lone holdout, plans to have a ban by early next year. Lucía Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Experts at the UW have focused their lens on a rather unconventional subject of study – the link between the ability to view stars free from light pollution and an interest in astronomy. Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, a research scientist at the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, are quoted.

Moo Deng. Pesto. Nibi. The three are a pygmy hippo, king penguin, and beaver, respectively, and they’re some of the latest celebrities to captivate the internet. David Barash, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit are still lighting up the sky, frustrating astronomers. Meredith Rawls, a research scientist of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Scientists at the UW have recreated the distinctive spiral shapes of shark intestines in 3D-printed pipes in order to study the unique fluid flow inside the spirals. Their prototypes kept fluids flowing in one preferred direction with no need for flaps to control that flow and performed significantly better than so-called "Tesla valves." The UW's Ido Levin, postdoctoral researcher in chemistry, and Alshakim Nelson, professor of chemistry, are quoted.

Researchers from the University of Washington have discovered a new way to help liquid flow in only one direction, but without using the flaps that engines and our circulatory system rely upon to prevent fluid backup. The team built a flexible pipe with an interior helical structure inspired by the anatomy of shark intestines â creating a prototype inspired by biology but with applications in engineering and medicine.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation selected five aspiring inventors as the ninth cohort of Moore Inventor Fellows. This fellowship champions scientist-inventors who design groundbreaking tools and technologies — creative people poised to make substantial strides in scientific discovery, environmental conservation and patient care.