Environment

A UW-led research team has discovered the best-preserved fossil feathers from the Mesozoic era in fossilized dinosaur poop. Some of these feathers have features that look like modern birds feathers. This finding can help researchers better understand why and how some birds survived the catastrophic event 66 million years ago that killed 75% of life on the planet.

Professor Emerita Merrill Hille (Dept of Biology) played an instrumental role in establishing the Burke-Gilman Trail, which connects so many of us to the UW community. It’s remarkable that this resource began as a grassroots effort led in part by a UW professor.

At the UW's Friday Harbor Labs, scientists learn great lessons from armored and obscure life under the sea.

Explore recent research from the University of Washington: nectar-stealing Hawaiian honeycreepers, ChatGPT and anxious attachment, the cost of nursing for marine mammals, new magnetic nanomaterials, and a new strategy to subdue finicky plasma.

UW alumni and renowned poets Derek Sheffield and Erin Malone have been recognized for their work in poetry.

Kara Patajo, Communication and Political Science ’19, is a travel blogger and author of “52 Weekends in the Pacific Northwest,” a collection of year-round travel destinations.

Come curious. Leave inspired. Wherever you are, the University of Washington offers opportunities to learn and connect with the ideas, people, and research shaping our world. This summer, visit campus for the latest exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, or join us from anywhere through recorded lectures, podcasts, virtual experiences, and more. As a public university, we’re proud to share the knowledge, creativity, and discoveries of the UW with communities near and...

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The UWs CoMotion program announced 10 startups that secured UW-licensed intellectual property over the past year. Eight are in healthcare, spanning diagnostic tools, medical devices and new therapeutics. The other two focus on K-12 education or climate change. The UW's Michael Malone, doctoral student in mechanical engineering, Jan Whittington, associate professor of urban design and planning, Min Sun, professor of education, Scott Kennedy, associate professor of pathology in the UW School of Medicine, Dr. Ian Bennett, professor of family medicine and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the UW School of Medicine, Dr. Misbah Keen, professor of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine, Larry Mauksch, clinical professor emeritus of family medicine, Jae-Hyun Chung, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Andrea Stocco, associate professor of psychology, and David Baker, professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine and director of the UW Institute for Protein Design, are mentioned.

One of the most endangered sea creatures of the Pacific Ocean is getting a leg up in the kelp forests of Washingtons San Juan Islands: a 24-armed sea star called the sunflower star. Researchers are working with the Samish Indian Nation to bring this pizza-sized predator back from the brink of extinction after a vast underwater pandemic. Jason Hodin, a research scientist at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, is quoted. Tess Chapman, Chloe Schwab and Julia Knopf, all research assistants at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, are mentioned.

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.

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.

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.