Latest News from: University of Washington

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Released: 21-Sep-2021 2:20 PM EDT
University of Washington researchers discover four dinosaurs in Montana
University of Washington

A team of paleontologists from the University of Washington excavated four dinosaurs in northeastern Montana this summer. The four dinosaur fossils are: the ilium of an ostrich-sized theropod; the hips and legs of a duck-billed dinosaur; a pelvis and limbs from another theropod; and a Triceratops specimen.

Released: 14-Sep-2021 2:40 PM EDT
Study examines teens’ thoughts, plans around suicide
University of Washington

New research by the University of Washington and New York University explored gender, racial and ethnic differences among teens who think about and/or attempt suicide, as well as associated behavioral and environmental factors.

Released: 13-Sep-2021 3:40 PM EDT
Do Alexa and Siri make kids bossier? New research suggests you might not need to worry
University of Washington

A team led by the University of Washington studied whether hanging out with conversational agents, such as Alexa or Siri, could affect the way children communicate with their fellow humans.

Released: 9-Sep-2021 3:30 PM EDT
NSF to fund revolutionary center for optoelectronic, quantum technologies
University of Washington

The National Science Foundation has announced it will fund a new endeavor to bring atomic-level precision to the devices and technologies that underpin much of modern life, and will transform fields like information technology in the decades to come.

Released: 25-Aug-2021 5:40 PM EDT
Volcanic eruptions may have spurred first ‘whiffs’ of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere
University of Washington

A new analysis of 2.5-billion-year-old rocks from Australia finds that volcanic eruptions may have stimulated population surges of marine microorganisms, creating the first puffs of oxygen into the atmosphere. This would change existing stories of Earth’s early atmosphere, which assumed that most changes in the early atmosphere were controlled by geologic or chemical processes.

Released: 24-Aug-2021 5:05 PM EDT
University of Washington and Microsoft Researchers Develop 'Nanopore-Tal' That Enables Cells to Talk to Computers
University of Washington

University of Washington and Microsoft researchers have introduced a new class of reporter proteins that can be directly read by a commercially available nanopore sensing device.

17-Aug-2021 8:30 AM EDT
Study: Pregnant women do well with COVID vaccine
University of Washington

A survey of more than 17,000 pregnant and lactating individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine showed that the individuals did not experience symptoms any more severe than their non-pregnant counterparts.

Released: 16-Aug-2021 1:50 PM EDT
New Analysis of Landmark Scurvy Study Leads to Update on Vitamin C Needs
University of Washington

Review of landmark, 1944 study on adequate vitamin C levels lead researchers to challenge the WHO's recommended daily amounts.

Released: 11-Aug-2021 3:00 PM EDT
More Pepper, Please
University of Washington

A study published Aug. 11 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B by researchers at the University of Washington and Stony Brook University reports on how bats and pepper plants in Central America have coevolved to help each other survive.

Released: 5-Aug-2021 12:40 PM EDT
Now How Did That Get Up There?
University of Washington

New research is shedding light on how the nasal passage in dolphins and whales shifts during embryonic development, from emerging at the tip of the snout to emerging at the top of the head as a blowhole. The findings are an integrative model for this developmental transition for cetaceans.

Released: 5-Aug-2021 12:25 PM EDT
Drier, warmer night air is making some Western wildfires more active at night
University of Washington

Firefighters report that Western wildfires are starting earlier in the morning and dying down later at night, hampering their ability to recover and regroup before the next day’s flareup. A study shows why: The drying power of nighttime air over much of the Western U.S. has increased dramatically in the past 40 years.

Released: 5-Aug-2021 10:45 AM EDT
Superflares May Be Less Harmful to Exoplanets Than Previously Thought, Study Shows
University of Washington

Astronomers have long suspected that superflares, extreme radiation bursts from stars, can cause lasting damage to the atmospheres — and thus habitability — of exoplanets. A new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society reports that they pose only a limited danger to planetary systems.

2-Aug-2021 12:05 AM EDT
Fine Particulate Air Pollution Associated with Higher Risk of Dementia
University of Washington

Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region — one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 — University of Washington researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia.

Released: 3-Aug-2021 1:50 PM EDT
New Report: State of the Science on Western Wildfires, Forests and Climate Change
University of Washington

Seeing the urgent need for change, a team of scientists from leading research universities, conservation organizations and government laboratories across the West has produced a synthesis of the scientific literature that clearly lays out the established science and strength of evidence on climate change, wildfire and forest management for seasonally dry forests. The goal is to give land managers and others across the West access to a unified resource that summarizes the best-available science so they can make decisions about how to manage their landscapes.

Released: 2-Aug-2021 5:50 PM EDT
New DNA Study Provides Critical Information on Conserving Rainforest Lizards
University of Washington

A study published June 16 in Biotropica by a team of researchers at the University of Washington, the UW Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, WWF Hong Kong and the University of Colombo has provided an important road map to conserving rough-nosed horned lizards in Sri Lanka.

Released: 29-Jul-2021 3:50 PM EDT
UW to Lead New NSF Institute for Using Artificial Intelligence to Understand Dynamic Systems
University of Washington

The University of Washington will lead a new artificial intelligence research institute that will focus on fundamental AI and machine learning theory, algorithms and applications for real-time learning and control of complex dynamic systems, which describe chaotic situations where conditions are constantly shifting and hard to predict.

Released: 29-Jul-2021 3:25 PM EDT
Climate Change to Fuel Increase in Human-Wildlife Conflict
University of Washington

Climate change is further exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts by straining ecosystems and altering behaviors, both of which can deepen the contacts — and potential competition — between people and animals.

Released: 27-Jul-2021 2:40 PM EDT
Possible Future for Western Wildfires: Decade-Long Burst, Followed by Gradual Decline
University of Washington

A model of the eastern California forests of the Sierra Nevada looks at the longer-term future of wildfires under future climate change scenarios. Results show an initial roughly decade-long burst of wildfire activity, followed by recurring fires of decreasing area — a pattern that could apply to other drought-prone regions of the West.

Released: 26-Jul-2021 3:15 PM EDT
Scientists Model ‘True Prevalence’ of COVID-19 Throughout Pandemic
University of Washington

Scientists have developed a statistical framework that incorporates key COVID-19 data to model the true prevalence of this disease in the U.S. Their approach projects that in the U.S. as many as 60% of COVID-19 cases went undetected as of March 7, 2021.

   
Released: 22-Jul-2021 12:55 PM EDT
Gaming Graphics Card Allows Faster, More Precise Control of Fusion Energy Experiments
University of Washington

University of Washington researchers have developed a method that uses a gaming graphics card to control plasma formation in their prototype fusion reactor.

19-Jul-2021 4:05 PM EDT
New 3D Images of Shark Intestines Show They Function Like Nikola Tesla’s Valve
University of Washington

For more than a century, researchers have relied on flat sketches of sharks’ digestive systems to discern how they function — and how what they eat and excrete impacts other species in the ocean. Now, researchers have produced a series of high-resolution, 3D scans of intestines from nearly three dozen shark species that will advance the understanding of how sharks eat and digest their food.

Released: 13-Jul-2021 3:45 PM EDT
From ‘distress’ to ‘unscathed’ — mental health of UW students during spring 2020
University of Washington

To understand how the UW’s transition to online-only classes affected college students’ mental health in the spring of 2020, UW researchers surveyed 147 UW undergraduates over the 2020 spring quarter.

Released: 9-Jul-2021 2:30 PM EDT
Study Model Explores Impact of Police Action on Population Health
University of Washington

The authors of a new UW-led study write that because law enforcement directly interacts with a large number of people, “policing may be a conspicuous yet not-well understood driver of population health.”

Released: 1-Jul-2021 2:10 PM EDT
How Long Can a Person Live? The 21st Century May See a Record-Breaker
University of Washington

A new University of Washington study calculates the probability of living past age 110, which, though rare, likely will increase this century.

   
29-Jun-2021 5:45 PM EDT
Last ice-covered parts of summertime Arctic Ocean vulnerable to climate change
University of Washington

The region north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic has been termed the "Last Ice Area," where sea ice will remain the longest in summertime, providing a refuge for ice-dependent Arctic species. But conditions last summer show that parts of this region are already experiencing less summer ice due to climate change.

25-Jun-2021 2:50 PM EDT
Air Pollution From Wildfires Impacts Ability to Observe Birds
University of Washington

Researchers from the University of Washington provide a first look at the probability of observing common birds as air pollution worsens during wildfire seasons. They found that smoke affected the ability to detect more than a third of the bird species studied in Washington state over a four-year period. Sometimes smoke made it harder to observe birds, while other species were actually easier to detect when smoke was present.

Released: 16-Jun-2021 5:05 PM EDT
Pandemic-Era Crowdfunding More Common, Successful in Affluent Communities
University of Washington

A new University of Washington study 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.

Released: 15-Jun-2021 2:10 PM EDT
Drug Rebates for Insurers Tied to Higher Costs for Patients, Especially the Uninsured
University of Washington

The study found that rebates were associated with increases in out-of-pocket costs for patients by an average of $6 for those with commercial insurance, $13 for Medicare patients and $39 for the uninsured.

Released: 14-Jun-2021 8:05 PM EDT
Communication Technology, Study of Collective Behavior Must Be ‘Crisis Discipline,’ Researchers Argue
University of Washington

Our ability to confront global crises, from pandemics to climate change, depends on how we interact and share information. Social media and other forms of communication technology restructure these interactions in ways that have consequences. Unfortunately, we have little insight into whether these changes will bring about a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. As a result, researchers now say that the study of collective behavior must rise to a “crisis discipline,” just like medicine, conservation and climate science have done, according to a new paper published the week of June 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Released: 14-Jun-2021 7:05 PM EDT
University of Washington Researchers Can Turn a Single Photo into a Video
University of Washington

UW researchers have developed a deep learning method that can produce a seamlessly looping, realistic looking video from a single photo.

Released: 10-Jun-2021 2:05 PM EDT
Endangered blue whales recorded off southwest coast of India
University of Washington

Endangered blue whales are present and singing off the southwest coast of India. The results provide insight into a poorly studied population and suggest conservation measures should include this region.

7-Jun-2021 2:05 PM EDT
Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India
University of Washington

The Uttarakhand region of India experienced a humanitarian tragedy on Feb. 7, 2021, when a wall of debris and water barreled down the Ronti Gad, Rishiganga and Dhauliganga river valleys. This debris flow destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists, including researchers from the University of Washington, came together in the days following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts.

Released: 3-Jun-2021 2:50 PM EDT
South Pole and East Antarctica warmer than previously thought during last ice age, two studies show
University of Washington

University of Washington glaciologists are co-authors on two papers that analyzed Antarctic ice cores to understand the continent’s air temperatures during the most recent glacial period. The results help understand how the region behaves during a major climate transition.

Released: 1-Jun-2021 1:20 PM EDT
Medical AI models rely on 'shortcuts' that could lead to misdiagnosis of COVID-19 and other diseases, UW researchers find
University of Washington

University of Washington researchers discovered that AI models ignored clinically significant indicators on X-rays and relied instead on characteristics such as text markers or patient positioning that were specific to each dataset to predict whether someone had COVID-19.

   
Released: 27-May-2021 2:15 PM EDT
Seabirds face dire threats from climate change, human activity — especially in Northern Hemisphere
University of Washington

Many seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are struggling to breed — and in the Southern Hemisphere, they may not be far behind. These are the conclusions of a study, published May 28 in Science, analyzing more than 50 years of breeding records for 67 seabird species worldwide.

Released: 24-May-2021 2:15 PM EDT
Fast food, supermarkets, other aspects of built environments don’t play expected role in weight gain
University of Washington

People don’t gain or lose weight because they live near a fast-food restaurant or supermarket, according to a new study led by the University of Washington. And, living in a more “walkable”, dense neighborhood likely only has a small impact on weight.

Released: 21-May-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Pandemic-era paleontology: A wayward skull, at-home fossil analyses and a first for Antarctic amphibians
University of Washington

Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered the first fossil evidence of an ancient amphibian, Micropholis stowi, from Antarctica. Micropholis lived in the Early Triassic, shortly after Earth's largest mass extinction. It was previously known only from fossils in South Africa.

Released: 12-May-2021 1:55 PM EDT
Earthquake early warnings launch in Washington, completing West Coast-wide ShakeAlert system
University of Washington

The U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and state emergency managers on Tuesday, May 4, will activate the system that sends earthquake early warnings throughout Washington state. This completes the rollout of ShakeAlert, an automated system that gives people living in Washington, Oregon and California advance warning of incoming earthquakes.

Released: 21-Apr-2021 1:40 PM EDT
A growing problem of ‘deepfake geography’: How AI falsifies satellite images
University of Washington

Using satellite photos of three cities and drawing upon methods used to manipulate video and audio files, a team of researchers led by the University of Washington set out to identify new ways of detecting fake satellite photos and warn of the dangers of falsified geospatial data.

Released: 20-Apr-2021 2:45 PM EDT
Using engineering methods to track the imperceptible movements of stony corals
University of Washington

A new study led by University of Washington researchers borrowed image-analysis methods from engineering to spot the minute movements of a stony coral.

Released: 20-Apr-2021 1:35 PM EDT
How lessons from past emergencies could improve the pandemic response
University of Washington

The federal government, in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, could learn from how the nation responded to Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and the H1N1 swine flu, a new University of Washington study found.

Released: 19-Apr-2021 9:00 AM EDT
Arguing on the internet: UW researchers studying how to make online arguments productive
University of Washington

University of Washington researchers worked with almost 260 people to understand online disagreements and to develop potential design interventions that could make these discussions more productive and centered around relationship-building.

   
Released: 7-Apr-2021 3:20 PM EDT
Perinatal patients, nurses explain how hospital pandemic policies failed them
University of Washington

With a lethal, airborne virus spreading fast, hospitals had to change how they treated patients and policies for how caregivers provided that treatment. But for maternity patients and nurses some of those changes had negative outcomes, according to a new University of Washington study.

Released: 1-Apr-2021 4:10 PM EDT
CDC, UW study finds significant vaccine distrust within incarcerated populations, increasing risks
University of Washington

Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and University of Washington said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one.

Released: 1-Apr-2021 4:00 PM EDT
New system that uses smartphone or computer cameras to measure pulse, respiration rate could help future personalized telehealth appointments
University of Washington

A University of Washington-led team has developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and breathing rate from a real-time video of their face.

   
Released: 18-Mar-2021 5:05 AM EDT
‘By-the-wind sailor’ jellies wash ashore in massive numbers after warmer winters
University of Washington

Thanks to 20 years of observations from thousands of citizen scientists, University of Washington researchers have discovered distinct patterns in the mass strandings of by-the-wind sailors, also called Velella velella. Specifically, large strandings happened simultaneously from the northwest tip of Washington south to the Mendocino coast in California, and in years when winters were warmer than usual.



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