Environment

Burrowing shrimp dig into the sand and make tunnels underground. In doing so they kick up about a handful of sand up to the surface everyday, and bury clams and oysters.Thats a problem for shellfish farmers. Jennifer Ruesink, professor of biology at the UW, is interviewed.

Across the globe, human activities are changing the way our planet smells. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

While the majority of the world just wants to swat mosquitoes, three University of Washington researchers find these insects fascinating. They told UW News what it's like to study mosquitoes and why these critters are actually really important.

Every summer, UW researchers head to northern Botswana to study how large predators, such as lions and African wild dogs, are affected by climate change and other shifts in their environment. UW News asked a few team members to describe their plans for this summer.

For decades, scientists have understood that plants can release volatile organic compoundsessentially airborne chemical signalsto attract the natural enemies of the things that eat them, like caterpillars. What we didnt know was exactly how a plant translates the physical act of being eaten into a specific, predator-summoning distress signal. Adam Steinbrenner, an associate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A hummingbird darts up to a flower, slips in its long, thin beak and drinks. The whole visit lasts a fraction of a second, and for years scientists assumed the bird simply sucked the sweet liquid up and swallowed. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, associate professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is mentioned.

Included in this science round up is a story about how plants call wasps to their defense. Adam Steinbrenner, an associate professor of biology at the UW, is interviewed.

Bean plants have been recruiting wasps to fight their battles for them since long before anyone noticed. A caterpillar bites down, the plant releases a chemical signal, and predatory wasps come flying in to finish it off. That part biologists already knew. What they couldnt explain was how the plant told the difference between a caterpillar and a rainstorm. Adam Steinbrenner, an associate professor of biology at the UW, is mentioned.

Explore recent research from the University of Washington: how climate change is redirecting rivers, what bean plants use to protect themselves from pests, where the water in an atmospheric river comes from and how researchers are making tensegrities tiny.

Come curious. Leave inspired. The UW offers an exciting lineup of in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University. And you don’t have to wait until June: Take a look at everything still happening in May. Sign up to receive a monthly notice when the ArtSci Roundup has been published. ArtSci On Your Own Time: Through July...

New research from a University of Washington scientist could give oyster farmers in Willapa Bay a fighting chance at battling burrowing ghost shrimp, little crustaceans that cause big problems. Jennifer Ruesink, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

The history of life on Earth often feels like a story about giants. Huge dinosaurs, powerful predators and massive plant-eaters fill our imagination. But that is only part of the picture. Gregory Wilson Mantilla, professor of biology at the UW and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

Explore recent research from the University of Washington: how sunbirds sip nectar through straw-like tongues, why the Seattle Fault might not pose as great a risk as previously thought, how to gauge landslide dam risk in the PNW, what marine microbes use for making meals and when the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory will spot small inbound asteroids.

A research team led by the UW has identified a new species of an ancient rodent-like creature. The new species, named Cimolodon desosai, was about the size of a golden hamster, the researchers said. It likely scampered on the ground and in the trees and ate fruits and insects.

A Nigerian scientist's "personal experience" with a wildfire, its threat to endangered bats she discovered just days before, and her campaign to protect them, has won her the global Goldman Environmental Prize. Iroro Tanshi, postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW and recipient of the award, is quoted.