Natural Sciences Division

It appears satellites from a SpaceX launch danced in the night sky over western Washington Tuesday, catching the attention of stargazers once again. People shared photos and videos on social media just after 9 p.m. Tuesday showing a long streak of lights moving through the sky. James Davenport, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, is interviewed.

Daniel Promislow, professor of biology, explains the insights into longevity we can get from dogs.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, says that even if we never reach herd immunity, dealing with COVID-19 will become more manageable with time.

More than half of adults in the United States have been inoculated with at least one dose of a vaccine. But daily vaccination rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Scientists researching nine binary star systems — like our solar system but with two suns — have revealed that five have “habitable zones” that could host Earth-like planets. Siegfried Eggl, a research scientist in astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Samuel Wasser, research professor of biology and Director of the Center for Conservation Biology, discusses the role that dogs play in his research.

The former home of Biology is now the centralized and renovated location for the UW Psychology Department.

Randall LeVeque, professor emeritus of applied mathematics, and Julie Theriot, professor of biology, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Rachel Klevit, professor of biochemistry, Randall LeVeque, professor emeritus of applied mathematics, and Julie Theriot, professor of biology, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Biologist Joanne Chory has laid out a vision for a new kind of agriculture. She wants to create “ideal plants” — crops like wheat or rice that are bred to store huge amounts of carbon in their roots. They could pull as much as 20% of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans out of the atmosphere each year. UW biology professor Jennifer Nemhauser is quoted.

There’s a developmental reason behind children’s obsession with rules. Stephanie Thompson, a research scientist at the UW Center for Child and Family Well-Being, is quoted.

Four University of Washington faculty members are among the leaders in academia, business, philanthropy, the humanities and the arts elected as 2021 fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

En el 2019, Toro ganó el premio Marsha L. Landolt, de la Universidad de Washington, donde trabaja desde 1994. El reconocimiento, que obtuvo por su capacidad pedagógica e interés en enseñar un área a la que muchos le temen, también la ubicó como una de las científicas colombianas más reconocidas y brillantes. (English translation: In 2019, Toro won the Marsha L. Landolt Award from the University of Washington, where she has worked since 1994. The recognition, which she obtained for her pedagogical ability and interest in teaching an area that many fear, also ranked her as one of the most recognized and brilliant Colombian scientists).

With a “supermoon” full moon coming early this week it’s likely that you’ll go to bed later and sleep less than on average. Research led UW biology professor Horacio de la Iglesia is quoted.

Biology professor and chair David Perkel and Biology Professor Jeff Riffell have been awarded research grants from the Human Frontier Science Program.