Research

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pulitzer-winning reporter Evelyn Iritani uncovers the diplomatic exchange of American and Japanese civilians while the two countries were at war.

Seabirds are among the indicator species that provide rich insight into the health of their ecosystems. In a new book, Eric Wagner, a research scientist in biology at the UW, follows a team of scientists as they seek to understand how climate change is affecting our region.

An astronomical alert system developed at the UW started off with a bang this week, sending out 800,000 notifications about moving asteroids, exploding stars and other celestial changes detected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

In her new book, "You Could Be Having Better Sex," psychology professor Nicole McNichols shares frank information based on academic research. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory a wide-field telescope in Chile fitted with the worlds largest digital camera detected 800,000 cosmic changes in a single night. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

The night sky promises Seattle an array of celestial wonders this year, one of which is a six-planet parade Saturday.Chris Law, a principal research scientist of biology at the UW and an affiliate curator at the UW Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, is quoted.

Jennifer Ruesink, University of Washington professor of biology, studies the relationship between the environment and marine organisms, including eelgrass, the primary species of seagrass that resides in the oceans surrounding Washington. In honor of World Seagrass Day, UW News asked Ruesink to explain what seagrass is and what makes the seagrasses in Washington unique.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has issued its first real-time alerts of changes in the night sky. The ultrafast alerting system, developed at the UW, will eventually detect up to seven million changes in the cosmos every night and notify scientists around the world.

Families and autism experts say that the federal government could do a lot more to support autistic children by increasing access to early diagnosis and intervention. Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and a research professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW, is interviewed.