Environment

Often vilified by Hollywood as potential competitors and even threats to humans, both sea dwelling and fictional off world octopuses have made many a filmgoer squirm in horror. Aside from their piercing eyes, their brains and morphologies are as different from humans as any species could be. Peter Ward, professor of Earth and space sciences and of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Hummingbirds, I realized, are not just adorable. They're also jerks. Yes, jerks. But don't take my word for it. Alyssa Sargent, doctoral student of biology at the UW, is quoted.

There's a spot on the UW Bothell campus that is known for murders. Not the kind that elicit blood-curdling screams. The kind punctuated by caws and the flapping of thousands of wings, which may be equally terrifying — depending on your opinion of crows. Loma Pendergraft, lecturer of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Despite the weather conditions, the courtyard of the UW Astronomy Department was busy with people trying to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse. The Department of Astronomy hosted a viewing event with telescopes and eclipse glasses. The UW's Oliver Fraser, assistant teaching professor in astronomy, and Ruby Heidgerken, a student, are quoted.

Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of ornithology at the UW Burke Museum, remembers when he first realized he was a hummingbird guy — not like an "I fill my hummingbird feeder every week" guy but an “I want to know everything about these birds” guy.

Certain chemicals break down a primrose’s key fragrance molecules, blunting its scent. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Apparently humans aren't the only animals who are neat freaks. Find out how this small rodent and other animals also declutter. James Ha, emeritus research professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Frank Herbert designed his beloved story, “Dune,” as a critique of our own world and a cautionary tale for the future. Herbert's time as a UW student is mentioned, and Jesse Oak Taylor, associate professor of English at the UW, is quoted.

You might not know it, but some moths can smell just as well as dogs. The nighttime insects use their antennae to sniff out flowers heavy with pollen up to a mile away. New research from the UW shows pollution in car exhaust can blunt the flowers’ scent – making it hard for pollinators to find the blossoms. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Air pollution is making it hard for some Washington state flowers to get pollinated, according to a new study in the journal Science. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Scientists at this University of Washington facility in the San Juan Islands are working to help sunflower stars — a type of sea star — grow and thrive once again after their populations along the West Coast were devastated by a mysterious disease. Jason Hodin, research scientist in the UW Department of Biology, is quoted.

The research, involving primroses and hawk moths, suggests that air pollution could be interfering with plant reproduction. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted, and Jeremy Chan, a former graduate student, is pictured.

Many animals rely on scent to make sense of the world. Pollution from smokestacks and tailpipes may be making them nose-blind. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Byproducts of car exhaust disrupt pollination by degrading the floral scents that insects use to track down their favorite plants, according to new research. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Scientists at the University of Washington have discovered that nighttime air pollution â coming primarily from car exhaust and power plant emissions â is responsible for a major drop in nighttime pollinator activity. Nitrate radicals (NO3) in the air degrade the scent chemicals released by a common wildflower, drastically reducing the scent-based cues that its chief pollinators rely on to locate the flower. The findings, published Feb. 9 in Science, are the first to show how nighttime pollution creates a chain of chemical reactions that degrades scent cues, leaving flowers undetectable by smell. The researchers also determined that pollution likely has worldwide impacts on pollination.