All Stories

New research reports that sunbirds use suction from their tongue to sip nectar. The find is the first example of any vertebrate drinking through suction generated by the tongue alone, rather than by changing the shape of its mouth. A UW research project is mentioned.

New research at the University of Washington could help scientists develop better mosquito repellents as mosquito season grows longer in parts of the Northwest. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted. This story was republished in numerous outlets.

A University of Washington-led team discovered that modern Nautilus and Allonautilus species inhabit deeper waters than their extinct ancestors did over 500 million years ago, with juveniles living at twice the depth of mature adults.

On display now at the University of Washingtons Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving examines the traditional art form and its importance to Coast Salish communities. Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse, associate professor of art history at the UW and curator of Northwest Native American Art at the Burke Museum, is quoted.

Chemistry professor Matthew Golder and his research team are exploring ways to alter the chemical structure of plastics to keep them out of landfills.

A fireball lit up western Washington skies on Saturday night, traveling across Pierce County. The American Meteor Society said over 100 people submitted reports that they saw the meteor at 8:34 p.m. The sightings were reported across Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Chris Laws, teaching professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

A strange crocodile relative once grew up in a very surprising way. As a young animal, it walked on four legs. As it became an adult, it stood on two legs like a bird. Research from the UW is referenced.

Some art moves you, some art challenges you, and some art strikes you so deeply that you lie awake at night with one vivid image plastered against your skull. Jacob Lawrence Legacy Resident indira allegra’s The Book of Zero does all three. The exhibit presents an immersive experience that steadily leads viewers through a sacred end-of-life ritual for oppressive and violent structures that, in allegra’s own words hand-painted on the walls, “haunt the earth,” as these “imitations of freedom could not keep you alive.”

Briana Abrahms, associate professor of biology at the University of Washington, studies how climate change affects human-wildlife interactions and increases conflict around the world. In January, she gave the keynote speech at the International Parliamentary Roundtable on Human-Wildlife Coexistence held in Botswana.

An astronomical alert system developed at the UW could flag potentially significant changes in the southern night sky in real time. On its first night of testing at the Rubin Observatory in Chile, the system fired off 800,000 alerts. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is interviewed.