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If planet nine exists, well find it soon
If theres a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it. Mario Juri, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.12/17/2024 | Scientific American -
Bezos, Zuckerberg and Altman donate to Trump's inauguration fund
Silicon Valley executives, some who have long had contentious relationships with President-elect Donald Trump, are pledging money and support to Trump's incoming administration. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.12/16/2024 | NPR -
Opinion: Climate advocates finally won in WA how? By not talking about climate
For the past decade or so, Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, has been teaching a course on climate politics in the UWs political science department. During that time, there have been three climate change initiatives on the ballot here. Hes had a front row seat for how policymakers, activists and campaigners have sought to frame and spin one of the toughest issues in politics.12/11/2024 | The Seattle Times -
Hummingbirds don't use their beak like a straw to drink nectar
According to a study by the UW, hummingbirds move their bills and tongues very quickly to drink a flower's nectar. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.12/10/2024 | BBC Newsround -
UW study finds big risks, little protections for whales from ship strikes worldwide
Whether its smartphones or sneakers, toys or tents, about 80% of commercial goods are transported to markets around the world using giant container ships. As global shipping routes grow to meet increasing demand, so too does the likelihood of fatal collisions with whale species whose ranges overlap with them. Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is interviewed.12/10/2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting -
Ship strikes now leading cause of whale deaths, UW study finds
With the near complete end of commercial whaling, ship collisions are now a leading cause of death worldwide for large whale species, according to new research published in Science. Yet little is done to manage this risk. Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is quoted.12/10/2024 | The Seattle Times -
Bendy bills allow hummingbirds to down nectar quickly
Hummingbirds, among the smallest birds on the planet, flap their wings at as much as 80 beats a second. And scientists have been studying how they get enough nectar to satisfy that energy demand. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.12/09/2024 | Cosmos Magazine -
Hummingbird bills are an evolutionary wonder
At first glance, hummingbird bills look like straws — long and thin, perfect for sipping nectar. But a new study reveals that this comparison is far from accurate. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.12/09/2024 | Earth.com -
The GPT era is already ending
This week, OpenAI launched what its chief executive, Sam Altman, called “the smartest model in the world”—a generative-AI program whose capabilities are supposedly far greater, and more closely approximate how humans think, than those of any such software preceding it. The start-up has been building toward this moment since September 12, a day that, in OpenAI’s telling, set the world on a new path toward superintelligence. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.12/09/2024 | The Atlantic -
More than 10,000 supernovae counted in stellar census
Since 2018 the Zwicky Transient Facility, an international astronomical collaboration based at the Palomar Observatory in California, has scanned the entire sky every two to three nights. As part of this mission, the ZTF's Bright Transient Survey has been counting and cataloging supernovae — flashes of light in the sky that are the telltale signs of stars dying in spectacular explosions.
12/06/2024 | UW News