Research

A 19th-century claim has fueled a 21st-century debate about how a warming climate might reshape animals. One "rule," declaring that animals in warmer regions usually have darker exteriors, whereas those in cooler regions are lighter, is being reconsidered. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Twenty moments from a year like no other — captured through the lenses of UW photographers.

A new study of 1,000 middle school students from the University of Kansas and the University of Washington School of Music found that learning music also boosted learning in math and reading.

UW researchers found a run-in with police is much more devastating for Black children than it is for white kids. Annie McGlynn-Wright, who did the research while pursuing her doctorate in sociology at the UW, is interviewed.

Daniel Kuo-Ching Chen, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle, signed a memorandum of understanding of cooperation with UW President Ana Mari Cauce on Dec. 8. Based on the memorandum, the Taiwan government provided $1.8 million for the UW to strengthen its Taiwan studies program in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and launch a Taiwan arts and culture program.

A trove from a Portuguese trading ship that sank in 1533 preserved genetic traces of whole elephant lineages that have vanished from West Africa. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Jason Hodin, a biology research scientist at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, talks about his work successfully breeding sunflower sea stars.

Some hope is on the horizon this week with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of course, it’s not a silver bullet in this pandemic. Certain groups of people remain especially vulnerable. They include detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. A report by the UW Center for Human Rights is mentioned.

Here's a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by UW faculty and staff in 2020, and a reminder of some recent favorites.

New research reveals significant changes to the circulation of the North Pacific and its impact on the initial migration of humans from Asia to North America.

Ben Fitzhugh, professor of anthropology, explains the results of a new study he co-authored on human migration.

There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a strange year. So strange, in fact, that the idea of an obstacle-dodging, autonomous cyborg drone that uses a real live moth antenna to track down smells doesn’t sound too much like weird science fiction. That’s probably a good thing, too, because it’s something that researchers from the University of Washington have actually built. And they’ve called it "smellicopter," because … why the heck not? The UW's Melanie Anderson, a doctoral student of mechanical engineering, and Thomas Daniel, professor of biology, are quoted.

NASA reported last week that the Stingray Nebula, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth and located near the southern constellation Ara, has dimmed remarkably fast, fading over just 20 years. Bruce Balick, professor emeritus of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Thomas Daniel, a UW professor of biology, is the co-author of a study on the newly developed Smellicopter: an autonomous drone that uses a live antenna from a moth to navigate toward smells.

The Stingray Nebula, a shroud of gas around an aging star, was already unusual: It is by far the youngest such object in space. But scientists say that it is now getting dimmer as rapidly as it appeared. Its brightness has dropped by a factor of nearly 1,000 over 20 years, and the bright tendrils that once wrapped around its edges are gone. Bruce Balick, professor emeritus of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.