A sampling from the breadth of research under way at the UW
1. CONTRACEPTION
Nanofibers deliver big results
A UW team has developed a versatile platform that works as
contraception and also protects against HIV. Electrically spun
cloth with nanometer-sized fibers can dissolve to release
drugs, providing protection that is inexpensive and contraception
that is reversible. This is the first study to use nanofibers
for vaginal drug delivery. > www.bit.ly/Rv5z7D
2. LEADERSHIP
Dump the ego to lead well
Humble people are likely to be high performers in individual
and team settings, and tend to make the most effective leaders,
according to research from the Foster School of Business.
Although not everyone is born humble, it is a trait that can be
learned, like patience, say researchers. > www.bit.ly/VEU4rt
3. ETHICS
Guiltless go-getting
Think cheating will cause remorse? Research from the UW’s
Foster School of Business indicates the reverse is true when
it comes to low-stakes cheating with seemingly victimless
crimes of minimal profit. Put to the test not only did cheaters
feel an absence of guilt, they felt … good. > www.bit.ly/YYG9hk
4. LANGUAGE
Unborn babies tune in to their mothers
Babies only hours old are able to differentiate between sounds
from their native language and a foreign language, according
to a study at the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
The study found that unborn babies listen to their mothers talk
during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy. > www.bit.ly/Xna5Ix
5. ADDICTION
Overdose kits save lives
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and
the UW Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program
found that giving kits with the overdose antidote naloxone
to heroin users is a cost-effective way to prevent overdose
deaths and save lives. Drug overdose is now the leading cause
of injury death in the U.S. > www.bit.ly/W8k65k
6. HEAD INJURY
Cool brain prevents seizures
A UW research team that led a multi-institutional research
team found that mild cooling of the brain after a head injury
prevents the later development of epileptic seizures in rats.
A clinical trial is the next step in verifying the findings in humans.
Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of acquired
epilepsy in young adults. > www.bit.ly/TzO0Dd
7. ENERGY
Making diesel from gas waste
The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded $4 million to
a group led by the UW to develop bacteria that can turn the
methane in natural gas into diesel fuel for transportation. UW
engineers will work with government and industry partners
to target natural gas associated with oil fields that is often
flared off as waste. > www.bit.ly/VIzma6
8. OLFACTORY
Moth noses may tell tale
Moths are able to enjoy a pollinator’s buffet of flowers—in
spite of being among the insect world’s picky eaters—because
of two distinct “channels” in their brains, scientists at
the UW and the University of Arizona have discovered. A better
understanding of the moth’s brain-based ability to smell
and learn might reveal more about how human noses and
brains process odor. > www.bit.ly/Xs7ZXR
9. PRECIPITATION
Rainy home-field advantage
The Seattle Seahawks win four times as many home games
as they lose when the weather is inclement, according to UW
meteorologist Nick Bond. The team’s record for home games
during the past decade is 17-4 with precipitation compared to
42-25 without. > www.bit.ly/10VR6ph
10. OCEANOGRAPHY
Millions awarded for microbe study
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has given UW oceanographer
Virginia (Ginger) Armbrust a multi-million dollar
award for research to reveal the diversity of microbes in the
ocean and to understand their role in regulating ocean environments
and the atmosphere. > www.bit.ly/VDqRh8
