Research

Techniques such as “location spoofing” and deepfake geography present significant risks for our increasingly connected society. Because of this, a team of researchers at University of Washington are working to identify ways to detect these fakes, as well as proposing the creation of a geographic fact-checking system. Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.

En el 2019, Toro ganó el premio Marsha L. Landolt, de la Universidad de Washington, donde trabaja desde 1994. El reconocimiento, que obtuvo por su capacidad pedagógica e interés en enseñar un área a la que muchos le temen, también la ubicó como una de las científicas colombianas más reconocidas y brillantes. (English translation: In 2019, Toro won the Marsha L. Landolt Award from the University of Washington, where she has worked since 1994. The recognition, which she obtained for her pedagogical ability and interest in teaching an area that many fear, also ranked her as one of the most recognized and brilliant Colombian scientists).

With a “supermoon” full moon coming early this week it’s likely that you’ll go to bed later and sleep less than on average. Research led UW biology professor Horacio de la Iglesia is quoted.

While the concept of “deepfakes,” or AI-generated synthetic imagery, has been decried primarily in connection with involuntary depictions of people, the technology is dangerous (and interesting) in other ways as well. For instance, researchers have shown that it can be used to manipulate satellite imagery to produce real-looking — but totally fake — overhead maps of cities. Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.

Biology professor and chair David Perkel and Biology Professor Jeff Riffell have been awarded research grants from the Human Frontier Science Program.

Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography, has authored a new study on deepfake geography.

Testing is still a valuable tool in our COVID-19 prevention toolkit, but the technologies and motivations behind it are shifting. We’ll also have to shift our understanding of test results and metrics. A tool developed by the UW's Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, and Ryan McGee, a graduate student in biology, are quoted.

Any Star Wars fan will recognize an iconic shot of two suns glowing in the skies of Tatooine — Luke Skywalker’s home planet. But new research shows this strange world isn’t as far from reality as you might think. Siegfried Eggl, a research scientist in astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

The debate over the habitability of Venus continues to burn as hot as the planet’s scorching temperatures. Michael Wong, a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Research from the UW Center for Human Rights has confirmed disturbing human rights violations at the Northwest Detention Center. 

Dr. Meredith Rawls, astronomy research scientist, discusses the issue of space debris.

David Hertzog, professor of physics, explains the results of new research on muons, a type of particle.

Evidence is mounting that a tiny subatomic particle called a muon is disobeying the laws of physics as we thought we knew them, scientists announced on Wednesday. David Hertzog, professor of physics at the UW, is mentioned.

A 6-mile-wide space rock and colossal eruptions racked Earth at the same fateful moment. Scientists have tried for decades to determine the primary suspect behind the Cretaceous extinction. Gregory Wilson Mantilla, Burke Museum curator of vertebrate paleontology and professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Particles called muons are behaving weirdly and it could mean a huge discovery. David Hertzog, professor of physics at the UW, is interviewed on the “60-Second Science” podcast.