Science

Landslides linked to plate tectonics create the steepest mountain terrain

New research shows some of the steepest mountain slopes in the world got that way because of the interplay between terrain uplift associated with plate tectonics and powerful streams cutting into hillsides, leading to large landslides.

Mathematicians can conjure matter waves inside an invisible hat

Mathematician Gunther Uhlmann and colleagues have devised an amplifier to boost light, sound or other waves while hiding them inside an invisible container. The findings are published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Engineered microvessels provide a 3-D test bed for human diseases

Bioengineers have developed the first structure to grow small human blood vessels, creating a 3-D test bed that offers a better way to study disease, test drugs and perhaps someday grow human tissues for transplant.

Inaugural Conservation Remix aims to foster creative thinking about environment

Conservation Remix, a daylong event June 2 organized by UW staff with Conservation Magazine and biology, offers an eclectic mix of topics for discussion – from designing superefficient buildings that generate their own energy to controlling invasive species by eating them.

Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion holds clues to common diseases

Scientists try to find which single-letter switches in the genetic code influence health risks.

Nearly one-tenth of hemisphere's mammals unlikely to outrun climate change

A safe haven could be out of reach for 9 percent of the Western Hemisphere's mammals, and as much as 40 percent in certain regions, because the animals just won't move swiftly enough to outpace climate change, according to new research from the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

Portable diagnostics designed to be shaken, not stirred

A textured surface mimics a lotus leaf to move drops of liquid in particular directions. The low-cost system could be used in portable medical or environmental tests.

New research brings satellite measurements and global climate models closer

UW researchers have discovered a problem with a climate record that is often cited by climate change skeptics.

Increasing speed of Greenland glaciers gives new insight for rising sea level

Changes in the speed that ice travels in more than 200 outlet glaciers indicates that Greenland's contribution to rising sea level in the 21st century might be significantly less than the upper limits some scientists thought possible, a new study shows.

Handful of heavyweight trees per acre are forest champs

Big trees three or more feet in diameter accounted for nearly half the biomass measured at a Yosemite National Park site, yet represented only 1 percent of the trees growing there.

Cells in blood vessel found to cling more tightly in regions of rapid flow

The cells that line the pipes leading to the heart pull more tightly together in areas of fast-flowing blood. The cells' mechanical response to their environment could aid understanding of heart disease.

Wind pushes plastics deeper into oceans, driving trash estimates up (with video)

Decades of research into how much plastic litters the ocean, conducted by skimming only the surface, may in some cases vastly underestimate the true amount of plastic debris in the oceans, according to a University of Washington oceanographer publishing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Space weather forecast: Sunspotty, with an increasing chance of solar storms

Electrical engineering professor John Sahr gives his read on the increase in solar activity, and how it relates to his research.

Newfangled space-propulsion technology could help clean up Earth orbit

A magnetized ion plasma system devised by a UW researcher to propel spacecraft at ultra-high speeds could be adapted to clean up dead satellites and other debris crowded in Earth orbit.

UW invites kids, families for 'paws-on' science activities this weekend

Head for Paws-On Science: Husky Weekend, March 30, 31 and April 1, at Pacific Science Center, for 50 stations featuring UW research. UW faculty, staff, students and their families receive a 20 percent discount on admission during the event, as do UW alums.

Fossil raindrop impressions imply greenhouse gases loaded early atmosphere

Evidence from fossilized raindrop impressions from 2.7 billion years ago indicates that an abundance of greenhouse gases most likely caused the warm temperatures on ancient Earth.

Tiny reader makes fast, cheap DNA sequencing feasible

Researchers have devised a nanoscale sensor to electronically read the sequence of a single DNA molecule, a technique that is fast and inexpensive and could make DNA sequencing widely available.

Geologists discover new class of landform – on Mars

An odd, previously unseen landform could provide a window into the geological history of Mars, according to new research by University of Washington geologists.

Web tool, phone app pinpoint tsunami dangers, quick getaway routes

A new online portal and smartphone app lets Washington and Oregon residents enter the addresses of their homes, schools, workplaces or kids' day care centers to check if they're in harm's way should a tsunami hit. The tool, being publicized on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the Tohoku tsunami, was developed by researchers at the Applied Physics Laboratory.

D.C. cherry trees: Blooms won't wait in warming world, UW research finds

Cherry trees in full bloom in our nation's capital could be as much as four weeks earlier by 2080 depending on how much warming occurs. So says an analysis conducted at the University of Washington that relied on the UW's own cherry trees as one test of a computer model used in the project.

 


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