Department of Biology

Last December was the warmest on record for Washington state, which led many garden plants to show signs of small buds as early as February. Takato Imaizumi, UW professor of biology, explains how plants know when to bloom and whether this might change in warmer winters.

Last December was the warmest on record for Washington, according to the Washington State Climate Office. Now many plants in our gardens are beginning to bud, even though it's only February. UW News asked Takato Imaizumi, UW professor of biology, to talk about the mechanisms behind blooming and how warmer winters might impact flowering plants.

A recent documentary about the breeding habits of antelopes in India includes the story of how engaging with artists and local communities can help researchers share the importance of their work. UW News asked Vivek Hari Sridhar, a UW assistant professor of biology and one of the leaders of the project, for details about the project and the documentary.

Five University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

UW News spoke with Lauren Buckley, University of Washington professor of biology, to learn about "functional resurvey" experiments and what they can tell us about how organisms change over time.

The University of Washington was awarded $2.5 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to fund 16 postdoctoral fellows in a number of fields across the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering and the College of the Environment.

Three College of Arts & Sciences professors discuss the impact of AI on their teaching and on student learning. The consensus? It’s complicated.

"Burrowing shrimp are a well-documented native pest species in Willapa Bay that have been a nuisance to bottom-culture shellfish farmers for over a century. Methods for controlling shrimp populations have varied over the years, including mechanical and chemical controls," writes Emma Guerrini Romano, UW doctoral student in biology. Andrea Durant, UW assistant professor of biology, and Jennifer Ruesink, UW professor of biology, are mentioned.

In December, the Trump administration announced its intent to close a climate research center in Boulder, Colorado. This sparked worry amidst atmospheric scientists around the world, including many in the Pacific Northwest. The National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, was founded by the National Science Foundation in 1960 to strengthen computer models and research methods for understanding weather and the climate. Its run by a consortium of universities that includes the UW, which is one of 14 founding members. Abigail Swan, professor of atmospheric sciences and of biology at the UW, is quoted.

The rockhead poacher, which lurks in the shallow intertidal of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, is one freaky looking fish. Adam Summers, professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Carnivorans, from mongooses to bears, evolved diverse body shapes in response to two major global cooling events, according to a study of 850 skeletons. Chris Law, a principal research scientist of biology at the UW and an affiliate curator at the UW Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, is quoted.

While female green hermit hummingbirds have curved bills, males straighter mouthparts are built for stabbing one another, a new study suggests. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, associate professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

The sharp, elongated bills of green hermit hummingbirds arent just fine-tuned for feeding; they also allow males to joust like knights over mates. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, associate professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

New research says birth rates for gray whales are still low, likely because of climate change affecting their food sources. However, melting sea ice has created new feeding opportunities, and scientists are hopeful the whales can adapt, allowing populations to rebound. Sue Moore, affiliate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A space-based wildlife tracking system that could revolutionize the study of animal migrations and behavior is set to get back online with SpaceX's recent launch. Briana Abrahms, associate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.