Polar oceans pump organic carbon down to the deep sea about five times as efficiently as subtropical waters, because they can support larger, heavier organisms. The finding helps explain how the oceans may function under climate change.
Science
A team of researchers from the 91探花 and the University of Trento in Italy unveiled an engineered protein that they designed to repress a specific cancer-promoting message within cells.
91探花professor Adam Summers is scanning and digitizing all 25,000 species of fish that live on Earth. Each species soon will have a high-resolution, 3-D visual replica online, available to all and downloadable for free.
A 91探花 team has shed new light on a common but poorly understood bacteria known to live in low-oxygen areas in the ocean. By culturing and sequencing the microbe’s entire genome, the oceanographers found that it significantly contributes to the removal of life-supporting nitrogen from the water in new and surprising ways.
The Geological Society of America has honored two 91探花professors and other authors of a 186-page report on the causes and consequences of the deadly March 2014 landslide in Oso, Washington.
A research team including 91探花’s Laura Prugh has found that within 30 years of cougars recolonizing the Eastern U.S., large cats could thin deer populations and reduce vehicle collisions by 22 percent 鈥� each year preventing five human fatalities, 680 injuries and avoiding costs of $50 million.
Scientists from the 91探花 recently reported a relatively simple method swell the tiny, complex structures within cells, bringing them within range of a common microscope’s resolving range.
With Arctic sea ice roughly tied with previous record-low years, a 91探花 tool that tallies the total volume of ice in the Arctic Ocean is attracting attention.
Scientists from the 91探花 have found evidence that ocean acidification caused by carbon emissions can prevent mussels attaching themselves to rocks and other substrates, making them easy targets for predators and threatening the mussel farming industry.
A long-term Pacific climate cycle may be driving the expansion of Antarctic winter sea ice since 2000, but a new study finds that the trend may soon reverse.
Alison Duvall, a 91探花assistant professor of Earth and space sciences, was selected for the Luna B. Leopold Award for early-career scientists.
The 91探花鈥檚 Clean Energy Institute will partner with regional industry and academic institutions as part of the new Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, according to an announcement June 20 by the White House.
A new study evaluates the performance of a seasonal forecast, developed by researchers at the 91探花and NOAA, that predicts conditions over the coming months in the Pacific Northwest marine environment.
An international team led by researchers at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) based at the 91探花 is one of three finalists in a race to produce an implantable wireless device that can assess, stimulate and block the activity of nerves that control organs.
The R/V Thomas G. Thompson, the 274-foot-long research vessel operated by the 91探花, has spent 25 years carrying researchers, students and teachers out to sea. The ship has collected material from the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches and braved storms near Antarctica. This week, the ship will begin a yearlong stay in protected waters and dry dock near Seattle’s Harbor Island for a complete overhaul of its propulsion system, navigation and many core engineering systems. The $34.5…
91探花 fish biomechanist Adam Summers advised Pixar on animal movement for the animation company’s second movie about life under the sea.
The world won鈥檛 be able to fish its way to feeding 10 billion people by midcentury, but a shift in management practices could save hundreds of millions of fish-dependent poor from malnutrition, according to a new analysis by researchers at Harvard, the 91探花 and other universities.
Researchers have discovered a handful of “bright spots” among the world鈥檚 embattled coral reefs, offering the promise of a radical new approach to conservation.
Rock from a common type of volcano shows surprising evidence of the descending tectonic plate. Analyses show that magnesium atoms are somehow drawn out of the crust, deep below the surface.
A new study has found that only 2 percent of the eastern U.S. provides the kind of climate connectivity required by species that will likely need to migrate, compared to 51 percent of the western U.S.
A new study by researchers at the 91探花 shows that the final grades that college students received in a second-language class were predicted by a combination of genetic and brain factors.
What are the policies of global rising powers regarding the use of orbital and outer space, and what are the implications of those policies for international cooperation? A capstone event for junior fellows of the Jackson School’s Space Security Initiative explored such questions in a recently with space industry, media and government representatives also on hand.
The Ecological Society of America has named 91探花 professor Jerry Franklin its “Eminent Ecologist” of 2016. The award, considered the organization’s most prestigious accolade, honors a senior ecologist who has made significant, long-standing contributions to the field of ecology.
Data is now streaming from the deep sea, thanks to an observatory installed in this region by the 91探花 as part of a larger National Science Foundation initiative to usher in a new age of oceanographic research.
91探花 professor Peter Kahn recently co-authored an opinion piece in the journal Science about the importance of interacting with nature in urban areas. 91探花Today asked Kahn a few more questions about the broader implications of his work.
The authors of a Science perspective piece discuss the growing tension between an arguably necessary role urban areas play in society and the numbing, even debilitating, aspects of cities that disconnect humans from the natural world.
91探花 polar scientists are on Alaska’s North Slope this week for the 2016 Barrow Sea Ice Camp. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the event brings together U.S.-based sea ice observers, satellite experts and modelers at various career stages to collect data and discuss issues related to measuring and modeling sea ice. The goal is to integrate the research community in order to better observe and understand the changes in Arctic sea ice. Check out the group’s blog,…
A team led by 91探花 engineers has developed a new tool that could aid in the quest for better batteries and fuel cells. Although battery technology has come a long way since Alessandro Volta first stacked metal discs in a 鈥渧oltaic pile鈥� to generate electricity, major improvements are still needed to meet the energy challenges of the future, such as powering electric cars and storing renewable energy cheaply and efficiently. The key likely lies in the nanoscale, said…
The waters surrounding Antarctica may be one of the last places on Earth to experience human-driven climate change, because of its unique ocean currents.
Electrical energy fuels our modern lives, from the computer screen that keeps us up after sunset to the coffee maker that greets us at sunrise. But the electricity underlying our 21st century world, by and large, is generated at a cost 鈥� through the unsustainable expenditure of fossil fuels. For decades this demand for cheap, fast and non-renewable electricity has promoted pollution and global warming. The key to reversing this downward spiral is deleting the “non” in “non-renewable electricity.” In…
Ray Hilborn, a 91探花professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, this week will receive the 2016 International Fisheries Science Prize at the World Fisheries Congress in Busan, South Korea.
Oceanographers from the 91探花and NOAA deployed a new tool that will automatically test for harmful algal blooms and help warn of when they could hit local beaches.
A cohort of 91探花Environmental Studies majors will present projects and research findings at at symposium from 1:30-5:30 p.m. May 25 at Alder Hall and Wallace Hall.
Children who suffer traumatic brain injuries can face a difficult road to recovery, requiring services such as physical therapy and mental health treatment for months or years to get their young lives back on track. When those children come from low-income households with limited English proficiency, there can be significant barriers in getting them the care they need. A recent 91探花 study found that less than 20 percent of rehabilitation providers in the state accepted Medicaid and also…
In a new study, scientists found that selectively fishing for lingcod in protected areas actually avoided hampering the recovery of other fish, including rockfish species listed as overfished.
A 91探花 team has demonstrated that poplar trees growing in rocky, inhospitable terrain harbor bacteria within them that could provide valuable nutrients to help the plant grow.
More than 500 people gathered May 18 on the 91探花 campus to celebrate the start of construction on the New Burke Museum. The Burke is Washington鈥檚 oldest museum and since 1899 has been the State Museum of Natural History and Culture; soon it will be Washington鈥檚 newest museum. Opening in 2019, the New Burke will address significant issues in the current structure that threaten the long-term viability of our state鈥檚 natural and cultural heritage collections 鈥� a total…
In a White House ceremony May 19, President Barack Obama presented the National Medal of Science to Mary-Claire King, 91探花 professor of genome sciences and medicine. The award, the nation’s highest recognition for scientific achievement, honors King’s more than 40 years dedicated to research in evolution and the genetics of human disease, as well as to teaching and outreach endeavors that have supported human rights efforts on six continents and reunited families.
From self-driving vehicles to social robots, artificial intelligence is evolving at a rapid pace, creating vast opportunities as well as complex challenges. Recognizing that, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is co-hosting four public workshops on artificial intelligence 鈥� the first of them May 24 at the 91探花. Subsequent events will take place in Washington, D.C.; in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and in New York City. Put on by the 91探花School of Law and the UW…
A new study co-authored by a 91探花 mechanical engineer demonstrates how flying insect-sized robots can land and stick to surfaces, which conserves energy and extends flight times.