Natural Sciences Division

Miguel Morales, professor of physics, has authored a new series on quantum mechanics for a general audience.

Five months after findings pointing to life floating in the clouds of Venus, scientists are not quite sure what to make of the data and what it might mean. It might spur a renaissance in the study of Venus, which has largely been overlooked for decades. It could point to exotic volcanism and new geological puzzles. It could indeed be aliens. Or it could be nothing at all. Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy, is quoted.

Some of Island County’s best-known climate activists are young, including members of the South Whidbey–based United Student Leaders. But in this retirement destination, where a quarter of the residents are over 65, there are plenty of elders who share the teenagers’ planetary worries. Richard Gammon, professor emeritus of chemistry at the UW, is quoted.

Just as the United States seems to have emerged from the worst of a surge in coronavirus cases that ravaged the country for months and peaked after Americans crowded indoors for the winter holidays, public health officials are concerned about another potential superspreader date: Super Bowl Sunday. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

This article highlights the Clean Energy Bridge to Research program, with special focus on Vanessa Zambrano, for whom the program helped kickstart her career.

Eli Shlizerman, an assistant professor in both the applied mathematics and the electrical and computer engineering departments, is the senior author on a new project that used machine learning to create a system that creates audio from muted piano performances.

Ecologists have shown that climate change has not been an equal opportunity stressor. As the Mojave Desert warmed by about 2°C over the past century, bird numbers and diversity declined dramatically, but small mammals like little pocket mice are holding their own. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

The detection of phosphine on Venus, theorized to be from microbes, may have been caused instead by sulfur dioxide, which is not a clear sign of life. Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey and other sky surveys are adopting speedy robots. They will save valuable observation time and allow the surveys to keep up with Europe’s Gaia satellite, the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile and other efforts that produce huge catalogs of objects needing spectroscopic study. Eric Bellm, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

"Suciasaurus rex has a leg up — OK, a femur — on other dinosaurs that might have fought tooth and claw to be named the Washington state dinosaur; there simply are no other dinosaur fossils known that could challenge S. rex for the honor," writes The Everett Herald Editorial Board. Christian Sidor, professor of biology at the UW, is referenced.

Elena Erosheva, UW Professor of Statistics and Social Work has been named a member of the National Academies Committee on Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Bijoya Das (BA, Psychology, 2006), is a trainer for the UCLA gymnastics team, where she uses her skills in dance to help highlight the personality of gymnasts in their routine.

We're all fatigued, and our resolve is slipping. But this is also the most consequential point of the coronavirus crisis so far. Susan Joslyn, associated professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

New studies knock down a controversial report observing phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere. Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. Andrew Lincowski, a doctoral student in astronomy and astrobiology, is mentioned.

Scientists stunned the world last year by claiming to have discovered traces of phosphine in the Venusian clouds. New research suggests this gas — which, excitingly, is produced by microbes — was not actually responsible for the signal they detected. Instead, it was likely sulfur dioxide, a not-so-thrilling chemical. Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. Andrew Lincowski, a doctoral student in astronomy and astrobiology at the UW, is mentioned.