Natural Sciences Division

Small moments of neglect, missed bids for attention, and everyday acts of kindness can add up to major changes in a relationship. John Gottman, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, and his research, is mentioned.

Coral reefs provide protection for fish, and researchers are interested in how the health of the reef affects the ability of fish to communicate with each other. This fall, Jj Milan, a UW doctoral student in the biology department, and UW research scientist Bob Oxborrow are traveling to the Maldives to study how humbug damselfish communicate with each other.

Connect, explore, get involved! Dawg Daze will take place from September 23 to October 2, 2026. It is a great way to discover resources, familiarize yourself with important campus landmarks, and connect with staff and other students at the University of Washington.

A UW-led research team has discovered the best-preserved fossil feathers from the Mesozoic era in fossilized dinosaur poop. Some of these feathers have features that look like modern birds feathers. This finding can help researchers better understand why and how some birds survived the catastrophic event 66 million years ago that killed 75% of life on the planet.

University of Washington researchers are leading and collaborating on four research projects as part of Phase 1 in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Genesis Mission, a national initiative to build an AI-for-science ecosystem which accelerates breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security.

Professor Emerita Merrill Hille (Dept of Biology) played an instrumental role in establishing the Burke-Gilman Trail, which connects so many of us to the UW community. It’s remarkable that this resource began as a grassroots effort led in part by a UW professor.

On Oct. 8, David Baker was already an accomplished biochemistry professor in the University of Washington School of Medicine: a computational biologist with more than 640 peer-reviewed research papers, 100 secured patents, and 21 biotech start-ups. But none of that prepared him for the 2 a.m. phone call from Sweden, when Baker learned he’d joined the upper echelon of prestigious international honorees as a recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Baker is now the eighth UW faculty Nobel laureate.

At the UW's Friday Harbor Labs, scientists learn great lessons from armored and obscure life under the sea.

Explore recent research from the University of Washington: nectar-stealing Hawaiian honeycreepers, ChatGPT and anxious attachment, the cost of nursing for marine mammals, new magnetic nanomaterials, and a new strategy to subdue finicky plasma.

Astronomers at the University of Washington simulated four Milky Way-sized galaxies for five billion (virtual) years to test a leading theory about how dark matter might influence streams of orbiting stars. The results could help researchers separate true evidence of dark matter from false positives.

A Washington State tribe and UW researchers have taken a rare step to help restore a damaged ocean ecosystem, releasing 20 lab-raised endangered sunflower stars into the Salish Sea off Decatur Island. Jason Hodin, a research scientist at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, is quoted.

A decade-long mission to capture the universe in cinematic motion has begun with UW astronomers helping lead the way. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. eljko Ivezi, professor of astronomy at the UW, is mentioned.

Within the burgeoning realm of bird enthusiasts, fans of corvids (the family that includes crows, ravens, jays and magpies) are their own passionate and growing cohort, fueled by trending news stories and viral videos on social media. The UW's Kaeli Swift, a postdoctoral researcher of environmental and forest sciences; Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology; and John Marzluff, professor emeritus of environmental and forest sciences, are quoted.

Top leadership is shifting at the UWs Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, as Director Magdalena Balazinskas term concludes after nearly seven years. Dan Grossman, professor of computer science and engineering and vice director, will take over as interim director.

A new study using data from NASAs Hubble Space Telescope found that star formation in the nearby Andromeda galaxy has undergone a 500-million-year decline, with an even steeper drop in the last 40 million years.