Department of Biology

Anyone who has been stung by a jellyfish might think they know more than enough about cnidocytes, the cells that deliver the sting. But a researcher has found that these cells have much more to tell, including insight into a simple evolutionary mechanism that may enable jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, and their relatives — collectively known as cnidarians — to quickly adapt to new environments. Billie Swalla, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A South African tip led to the discovery of mutations around the world. With infections skyrocketing, “it’s a race against time.” Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

It’s a moth, it’s a plane, it’s … the Smellicopter, a little drone that senses odors with an onboard moth antenna. Seriously, that’s the scientists’ real name for their creation, a system that monitors the electrical signals sent from the antenna of an actual moth, allowing the drone to lock onto the source of a scent and navigate toward it. The UW’s Melanie Anderson, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, and Thomas Daniel, professor of biology, are quoted.

A 19th-century claim has fueled a 21st-century debate about how a warming climate might reshape animals. One "rule," declaring that animals in warmer regions usually have darker exteriors, whereas those in cooler regions are lighter, is being reconsidered. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A trove from a Portuguese trading ship that sank in 1533 preserved genetic traces of whole elephant lineages that have vanished from West Africa. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Jason Hodin, a biology research scientist at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, talks about his work successfully breeding sunflower sea stars.

Election-related falsehoods have subsided, but misleading claims about the coronavirus vaccines are surging — often spread by the same people. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

The Conservation Canines program, which is part of the UW Center for Conservation Biology, trains dogs in what might seem at first to be unusual detective work: tracking wild animal scat. Deborah Giles, a research scientist at the center, and Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the center, are quoted.

There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a strange year. So strange, in fact, that the idea of an obstacle-dodging, autonomous cyborg drone that uses a real live moth antenna to track down smells doesn’t sound too much like weird science fiction. That’s probably a good thing, too, because it’s something that researchers from the University of Washington have actually built. And they’ve called it "smellicopter," because … why the heck not? The UW's Melanie Anderson, a doctoral student of mechanical engineering, and Thomas Daniel, professor of biology, are quoted.

Thomas Daniel, a UW professor of biology, is the co-author of a study on the newly developed Smellicopter: an autonomous drone that uses a live antenna from a moth to navigate toward smells.

Amid the dispiriting surge of coronavirus cases around the United States, seven states in the Midwest appear to have a reason to be hopeful: They have all seen a sustained decrease in case numbers over the past two weeks. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted. [This is part of updates for Dec. 5.]

After analyzing a snapshot of the Stingray Nebula NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took in 2016, astronomers found that the magnificent-colored nebula has drastically changed since 1996 when it still boasted bright blue colors and a very distinguishable shape. Bruce Balick, professor emeritus of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said researchers are still investigating whether people who have been vaccinated can spread the novel coronavirus. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, explains why this is important. [This is part of the Dec. 4 issue of "Health 202."]

A team led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego has discovered that cowpeas — a type of bean plant — harbor receptors on the surface of their cells that can detect a compound in caterpillar saliva and initiate anti-herbivore defenses.

More than 65 species of plants have gone extinct in the U.S. and Canada since European colonization, according to a new study. The study was conducted by a group of 16 experts from across the U.S., including Richard Olmstead, professor of biology at the UW. The study showed that far more plant species have gone extinct on the continent than previously documented.