Research

The College of Arts & Sciences is home to many distinguished researchers, faculty, and students. Their work and contributions have been featured in media outside of the UW and across the country. Take a look at some ArtSci features from this past Autumn Quarter. With everything from AI to Orca whales, ArtSci people and research in the media has something for everyone.

The materials that make up your body are intergalactic voyagers that have existed beyond the limits of the Milky Way. The UW's Samantha Garza, a doctoral student of astronomy, and Jessica Werk, professor and chair of astronomy, are quoted.

The carbon on the Earth and therefore, in us probably spent some time outside the Milky Way galaxy before forming our planet, according to a new study. The UW's Samantha Garza, a doctoral student of astronomy, and Jessica Werk, professor and chair of astronomy, are quoted.

Every atom of carbon in your body has an incredible story to tell. Before becoming part of you, the carbon atom likely spent time not just in other living things, but also floating in the vast spaces between stars. Samantha Garza, a doctoral student of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

University of Washington scientists recently discovered that the giant 'conveyor belt' currents that push star-forged material out of our galaxy and pull it back in can also transport carbon atoms. That means that a good deal of the carbon here on Earth, including the carbon in our bodies, likely left the galaxy at some point!

New scientific advancements suggest that our canine friends might offer more than love and loyalty. Dogs may ultimately hold the power to potentially extend both their lives and ours. Daniel Promislow, professor of biology and of laboratory medicine and pathology in the School of Medicine, is quoted.

Researchers say drugs may be able to increase lifespan by extending health and thus shortening the rate of aging. Daniel Promislow, UW professor of biology and of laboratory medicine and pathology in the School of Medicine, is quoted.

Most shipping routes cross whale habitats worldwide. Briana Abrahms, assistant professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

If theres a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it. Mario Juri, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Whether its smartphones or sneakers, toys or tents, about 80% of commercial goods are transported to markets around the world using giant container ships. As global shipping routes grow to meet increasing demand, so too does the likelihood of fatal collisions with whale species whose ranges overlap with them. Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is interviewed.

With the near complete end of commercial whaling, ship collisions are now a leading cause of death worldwide for large whale species, according to new research published in Science. Yet little is done to manage this risk. Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is quoted.

According to a study by the UW, hummingbirds move their bills and tongues very quickly to drink a flower's nectar. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

Hummingbirds, among the smallest birds on the planet, flap their wings at as much as 80 beats a second. And scientists have been studying how they get enough nectar to satisfy that energy demand. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

At first glance, hummingbird bills look like straws — long and thin, perfect for sipping nectar. But a new study reveals that this comparison is far from accurate. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of birds at the UW Burke Museum, is quoted.

Three new species of superconductivity were spotted this year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup. Matthew Yankowitz, assistant professor of physics and of materials science and engineering at the UW, is quoted.