Research

Astronomers say they've likely witnessed the collision of two planets orbiting a distant star. The star in question is Gaia20ehk, which is located 11,000 lightyears from Earth. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

The first comprehensive national study on fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, from researchers at the UW and Drexel University, found that roughly 73% of AIAN people killed by police violence were on or within 10 miles of a reservation. Theresa Rocha Beardall, co-author and UW associate professor of sociology, is quoted.

Astronomers say they've likely witnessed the collision of two planets orbiting a distant star, Gaia20ehk, located 11,000 lightyears from Earth. Doctoral student Anastasios Tzanidakis and research assistant professor James Davenport, both in the UW Department of Astronomy, are quoted.

Plants, like people, have a circadian clock and they sense seasonal changes to light and temperature. Plants that bloom in the spring use the longer days and warmer temperatures as seasonal cues that its time to bloom.

Astronomers expect most stars like our sun to act in a calm, predictable way. Their brightness rises and falls a little over time, but the changes are small and steady. That is why one quiet-looking star in our galaxy caught scientists off guard. Its light suddenly started behaving in ways no one expected. Anastasios Tzanidakis, a doctoral student, and James Davenport, research assistant professor, both of astronomy at the UW, are quoted.

Indigenous people in the United States are at higher risk of fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, according to the first comprehensive national study on the subject from researchers at the University of Washington and Drexel University. The researchers found that roughly 73% AIAN people killed by police violence were on or within 10 miles of a reservation.

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.