• The system that decides what science gets published is breaking down

    Every published scientific finding rests on a foundation most people never think about: a judgment, made before publication, that the work is sound. Every drug approval, every climate projection, every economic forecast that shapes policy depends on it. That judgment is now under serious strain. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

    03/25/2026 | Forbes
  • How plants know when to bloom

    As spring weather settles over the Northern Hemisphere, those barren branches will soon be bursting with color. Just like humans, plants have a circadian clock which helps them tell time. Takato Imaizumi, a professor of biology at the UW, is mentioned.

    03/24/2026 | Popular Science
  • ArtSci Roundup: April 2026

    Come curious. Leave inspired. The UW offers an exciting lineup of in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University. Sign up to receive a monthly notice when the ArtSci Roundup has been published. ArtSci On Your Own Time or From Your Own Home Video | Katz Distinguished Lectures Playlist (Simpson Center for the Humanities) From Mourning across...

    03/20/2026 | UW News
  • Why Skagit Valley tulips and UW cherry blossoms are blooming early

    Months of warm temperatures and a lack of rain mean early blooms for tulips and cherry blossoms in Western Washington, according to experts.Blooms are moving targets, impacted by weather each year. Takato Imaizumi, a professor of biology at the UW, is mentioned.

    03/19/2026 | The Seattle Times
  • Why Skagit Valley tulips and UW cherry blossoms are blooming early

    Months of warm temperatures and a lack of rain mean early blooms for tulips and cherry blossoms in Western Washington, according to experts.Blooms are moving targets, impacted by weather each year. Takato Imaizumi, a professor of biology at the UW, is mentioned.

    03/19/2026 | The Seattle Times
  • 'It went completely bonkers...': Astronomers witness two planets colliding around a distant star

    Astronomers say they've likely witnessed the collision of two planets orbiting a distant star. The star in question is Gaia20ehk, which is located 11,000 lightyears from Earth. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

    03/18/2026 | BBC
  • "It went completely bonkers..." Astronomers witness two planets colliding around a distant star

    Astronomers say they've likely witnessed the collision of two planets orbiting a distant star, Gaia20ehk, located 11,000 lightyears from Earth. Doctoral student Anastasios Tzanidakis and research assistant professor James Davenport, both in the UW Department of Astronomy, are quoted.

    03/17/2026 | EarthSky
  • Video: How do plants know when to bloom? Spring flowering explained by UW chronobiologist

    Plants, like people, have a circadian clock and they sense seasonal changes to light and temperature. Plants that bloom in the spring use the longer days and warmer temperatures as seasonal cues that its time to bloom.

    03/17/2026 | UW News
  • Debris from a violent planetary collision dimmed a distant star

    Astronomers expect most stars like our sun to act in a calm, predictable way. Their brightness rises and falls a little over time, but the changes are small and steady. That is why one quiet-looking star in our galaxy caught scientists off guard. Its light suddenly started behaving in ways no one expected. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

    03/17/2026 | Earth.com
  • Exceptionally rare sighting of planets colliding may shed light on the crash that formed the moon

    Astronomers think they've glimpsed one of the rarest sights in space: two planets smashing into each other around a distant star. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

    03/17/2026 | Live Science
  • Why sexual novelty doesnt have to overwhelm long-term couples

    Most of my clients were raised in sex-avoidant homes, where the topic wasnt discussed. It was often deflected and felt awkward when it did come up. People who grow up in such information vacuums often dont know how to approach the topic of sex with their partners when they reach adulthood. Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor of psychology at the UW, is interviewed.

    03/16/2026 | CNN
  • Astronomer witnesses 'bonkers' collision of two planets

    Two planets crashed into one another in a violent, chaotic collision that astronomers recently witnessed 11,000 light-years away from Earth. The rare cosmic event is not one scientists get to see every day. But thanks to a bit of serendipity, a researcher at the UW looking through old telescope data happened upon the bread crumbs that would lead him to the stunning discovery. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, is quoted, and James Davenport, research assistant professor both of astronomy at the UW, is mentioned. Multiple outlets ran this story.

    03/16/2026 | USA Today
  • The math that explains why bell curves are everywhere

    The central limit theorem started as a bar trick for 18th-century gamblers. Now scientists rely on it every day. Daniela Witten, professor of statistics and of biostatistics at the UW, is quoted.

    03/16/2026 | Quanta Magazine
  • A built-in warning system: How mosquitoes detect a common compound in plant-based mosquito repellent

    Mosquitoes are increasingly becoming resistant to current insecticides, leading to a pressing need for new methods to prevent mosquito bites and the potential transmission of disease. New research by an international team, including researchers at the UW, reveals that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use a specific sensory receptor to detect and avoid borneol (pronounced "bor-nee-ohl"), an organic compound found in several aromatic plants, including camphor trees, rosemary and other aromatic herbs.

    03/16/2026 | UW News
  • Ancient crocodile Sonselasuchus cedrus walked on four legs as a baby before switching to two

    Scientists have unearthed a "peculiar" ancient crocodile that walked on two legs after beginning its life on four. Named Sonselasuchus cedrus, the creature roamed the Earth during the Late Triassic period, approximately 225 to 201 million years ago. Elliott Armour Smith, graduate student of biology at the UW, is quoted.

    03/11/2026 | The Independent