Research

  • A telescope is taking 12 years to build but could find extraterrestrial life in hours

    The circumstances need to be right, but modeling suggests finding biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars will be well within the Extremely Large Telescopes capacity. The UW's Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy, and Miles Currie, a doctoral student of astronomy, are mentioned.
    03/24/2025 | IFLScience
  • A telescope is taking 12 years to build but could find extraterrestrial life in hours

    The circumstances need to be right, but modeling suggests finding biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars will be well within the Extremely Large Telescopes capacity. The UW's Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy, and Miles Currie, a doctoral student of astronomy, are mentioned.
    03/24/2025 | IFLScience
  • Cloaked in color: UW-led research finds some female hummingbirds evolve male plumage to dodge aggression

    Trickery by female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds results in reduced aggression from other hummingbirds and increased access to nectar resources.
    03/20/2025 | UW News
  • An Earful of AI

    Hearing aid technology is improving all the time with the help of AI, thanks to researchers like Yi Shen, professor of speech & hearing sciences. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • The Evolution of the Book

    As books evolve with new technologies, Geoffrey Turnovsky, professor of French, explores the history of texts — and the reading experience. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • Elon Musk, and how techno-fascism has come to America

    The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musks rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.
    The New Yorker
  • ChatGPT: Will you be my Valentine? More users are falling for AI companions

    People are increasingly falling for their favorite chatbots, spending hours each day building relationships with their artificial lovers. Chatbot site Janitor AI told Semafor that users have started 2.1 million conversations with its Valentines Day bots since they went live on Tuesday, representing about a quarter of all interactions on the site and breaking the companys all-time daily user record. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.
    Yahoo! Life
  • Three UW scientists named Sloan Fellows

    Three University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 18, are Amy L. Orsborn, the Clare Boothe Luce assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering and bioengineering, Dianne J. Xiao, an assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Amy X. Zhang, an assistant professor of computer science in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

    UW News
  • Q&A: How 12 UW researchers fell in love with their research

    For Valentine's Day, UW News asked 12 University of Washington researchers to share their love stories: What made them decide to pursue their career paths?
    UW News
  • NAS awards for Xu, Vinzant, and Oveis Gharan

    UW professors Xiaodong Xu, Cynthia Vinzant, and Shayan Oveis Gharan have been honored by the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their research accomplishments.

    02/07/2025 | College of Arts & Sciences
  • You Discover You're on Camera. Now What?

    A growing number of people use surveillance cameras inside their home. Interaction design professor James Pierce explores how others spending time in the home are affected. 

    February 2025 Perspectives
  • January is almost as synonymous for divorce inquiries as for resolutions

    A combination of enduring holiday stress and seeking a New Years change drives interest in information about ending marriages. Julie Brines, associate professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

    Discover Magazine
  • Grasshopper size changes suggest how to predict winners and losers under climate change

    Thousands of grasshopper specimens from mountains in Colorado show trends in how the insects changed in size over 65 years. With earlier emergence of spring greenery and earlier summer drought, grasshopper species that emerged early in the year grew larger, while grasshopper species that emerge later in the year grew smaller in size. The study, led by UW biologist Lauren Buckley, shows that changes in insect size can be predicted based on lifecycles and environmental conditions.
    UW News
  • January is almost as synonymous for divorce inquiries as for resolutions

    A combination of enduring holiday stress and seeking a New Years change drives interest in information about ending marriages. Julie Brines, associate professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.
    Discover Magazine
  • Higher traffic-related air pollution exposure tied to depression

    Exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is associated with depression in women, possibly via reproductive health, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in Menopause. Anwesha Pan, a doctoral student of anthropology at the UW, is mentioned.
    HealthDay