Research

New images from a massive telescope in Chile have helped solve the mystery of why red supergiant star Betelgeuse suddenly dimmed in late 2019. Emily Levesque, associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is referenced.

During the first several months of the pandemic — when communities locked down, jobs were lost, PPE was scarce and store shelves were cleared — thousands of people turned to online crowdfunding to meet their needs. But a new University of Washington analysis of requests and donations to the popular crowdfunding site GoFundMe, along with Census data, shows stark inequities in where the money went and how much was donated.

“By mid-February 2020, the star [Betelgeuse] had plummeted to about 35% of its typical brightness before swiftly recovering over the next few months. The event captivated professional and amateur stargazers alike because such rapid and visible changes in the night sky are rare. Now, a year after Betelgeuse’s recovery from what has become known as its Great Dimming, Montargès et al. present a detailed picture of and compelling explanation for this strange behavior,” writes Emily Levesque, associate professor of astronomy at the UW.

A new UW study led by Mark Igra, a graduate student in sociology, highights inequities in GoFundMe donations.

A breakthrough study published earlier this year found a relationship between sleep and the lunar calendar. Specifically, in the several days leading up to a full moon, study participants slept 50 minutes less and dozed off 30 minutes later than normal on average. Horacio de la Iglesia, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Three of the UW Department of Astronomy's newest and brightest stars on the outer limits of what's possible.

The UW Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences found that babies already have the building blocks of generous social behavior. Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology at the UW and co-director of the institute, is interviewed.

Abigail Swann, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Ecology, comments on a new study about the formation of the Amazon rain forest.

Christina Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at I-LABS and lead author of a study on the effect of music on 9-month-old babies explains the results.

In a paper published online last month, Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, employed AI techniques similar to those used to create so-called deepfakes to alter satellite images of several cities. Zhao and colleagues swapped features between images of Seattle and Beijing to show buildings where there are none in Seattle and to remove structures and replace them with greenery in Beijing.

P. Dee Boersma, professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is the co-author of a new study about seabird health.

Nania, a critically endangered forest elephant, became separated from her herd when she was only three months old, and ever since has been hand-reared by wildlife carers in her homeland, Burkina Faso. But now they are searching for her mother using DNA analysis of dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

UW paleontology researchers discuss the changes their field has undergone during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bryn Bandt-Law, UW researcher and graduate student in psychology, discusses her new research on sexual harassment.

If you've ever wished you had an extra hand to accomplish a task, never fear, scientists are working on that. But a new study raises questions about how such technology could affect your brain. Dr. Eran Klein, affiliate assistant professor of philosophy at the UW, is quoted.