Natural Sciences Division

Astronomers think they've glimpsed one of the rarest sights in space: two planets smashing into each other around a distant star. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

Astronomers expect most stars like our sun to act in a calm, predictable way. Their brightness rises and falls a little over time, but the changes are small and steady. That is why one quiet-looking star in our galaxy caught scientists off guard. Its light suddenly started behaving in ways no one expected. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

Most of my clients were raised in sex-avoidant homes, where the topic wasnt discussed. It was often deflected and felt awkward when it did come up. People who grow up in such information vacuums often dont know how to approach the topic of sex with their partners when they reach adulthood. Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor of psychology at the UW, is interviewed.

Two planets crashed into one another in a violent, chaotic collision that astronomers recently witnessed 11,000 light-years away from Earth. The rare cosmic event is not one scientists get to see every day. But thanks to a bit of serendipity, a researcher at the UW looking through old telescope data happened upon the bread crumbs that would lead him to the stunning discovery. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, is quoted, and James Davenport, research assistant professor both of astronomy at the UW, is mentioned. Multiple outlets ran this story.

The central limit theorem started as a bar trick for 18th-century gamblers. Now scientists rely on it every day. Daniela Witten, professor of statistics and of biostatistics at the UW, is quoted.

Mosquitoes are increasingly becoming resistant to current insecticides, leading to a pressing need for new methods to prevent mosquito bites and the potential transmission of disease. New research by an international team, including researchers at the UW, reveals that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use a specific sensory receptor to detect and avoid borneol (pronounced "bor-nee-ohl"), an organic compound found in several aromatic plants, including camphor trees, rosemary and other aromatic herbs.

Scientists have unearthed a "peculiar" ancient crocodile that walked on two legs after beginning its life on four. Named Sonselasuchus cedrus, the creature roamed the Earth during the Late Triassic period, approximately 225 to 201 million years ago. Elliott Armour Smith, graduate student of biology at the UW, is quoted.

An early relative of crocodiles spent its juvenile years walking on all fours, then stood up on two legs as an adult. Its arm and leg bones grew at different rates to enable this transition. Elliott Armour Smith, graduate student of biology at the UW, and Christian Sidor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum and professor of biology at the UW, are quoted.

Roughly 215 million years ago, an unusual-looking reptile traipsed around what is now Arizona. About the size of a poodle, the creature had large eye sockets, a toothless beak and short arms. During the early part of its life, the animal seems to have walked around on all fours. But as it grew, it stood upright and began striding around on two legs instead. Elliott Armour Smith, graduate student of biology at the UW, and Christian Sidor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum and professor of biology at the UW, are quoted.

An oddly-behaving star led two UW astronomers to capture rare evidence of a collision between two planets in a distant solar system. The discovery could aid scientists in their search for worlds similar to our own.

When ice and snow begin to melt in California's high-elevation waters, male frogs hop into action. Emerging from hibernation, they head to lakes and ponds scattered throughout the area and begin calling to females. They have limited time to mate before the water freezes again. Adam Leach, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A "peculiar" ancient relative of the crocodile started life on four legs before it began walking on two, according to new research. Elliott Armour Smith, graduate student of biology at the UW, and Christian Sidor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum and professor of biology at the UW, are quoted. Multiple outlets ran this story.

Its a scene from a nightmare: Youre shopping at the supermarket on a normal fall evening, and suddenly a hungry bear walks in and starts smashing things. This scene has become a reality in parts of Japan. Briana Abrahms, associate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A "peculiar" ancient relative of the crocodile started life on four legs before it began walking on two, according to new research. Elliott Armour Smith, lead author on the research and a UW biology graduate student, and Christian Sidor, UW professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum, are quoted.

Arts & Sciences alumnus Spencer Kraisler (BA, Mathematics, 2021), currently a doctoral student in aeronautics & astronautics (A&A) in the College of Engineering, is A&A's 2026 Condit Fellow. His research is informed in part by his undergraduate mathematics training in manifold theory, the study of smooth, curved spaces.