Pulling the strings: How stem cells in the developing fruit fly brain organize their DNA from outside the nucleus
Cells are very particular about the proper locations of their contents. For example, DNA is packaged in the nucleus in a highly specific way, but researchers are still trying to understand how this happens. For stem cells in the brain of a larval fruit fly — model organisms used to study processes such as early development — the DNA is organized so that the center of each strand, called the centromere, is at the top of the nucleus. In a paper published Oct. 14 in the Journal of Cell Biology, UW researchers describe how proteins outside the nucleus work alongside proteins inside the nucleus to control the position of centromeres. The researchers observed this mechanism by imaging stem cells within larval fruit fly brains and then using machine learning to measure how centromere locations change when specific proteins are removed. The research team also followed the locations of two specific genes that are far away from the centromeres. Both genes lost their usual positions in the nucleus when the centromeres strayed from their normal location, suggesting that proper centromere positioning may be important for orienting the rest of the DNA in the nucleus. Studying how and why DNA is organized in these stem cells can help researchers better understand how stem cells are regulated and how brains develop.
For more information, contact lead author Jennifer Taylor, UW postdoc in biology, at jatay@uw.edu.
The other UW co-author is Clemens Cabernard. A full list of funding is included in the paper.
Micro language models let AI run instantly on small devices like smartwatches
Though artificial intelligence can refer to many technologies, the current AI boom has been driven by large language models, or LLMs. They power chatbots and AI agents by running predictions based on ever-increasing amounts of variables called “parameters.” Current cutting-edge models are estimated to have several trillion parameters, making them far too large to run on slower phones or small devices like smartwatches. In a paper presented Oct. 27 at EMNLP 2026, UW researchers introduced “micro language models,” which run with 8-30 million parameters. These models are small enough to run on devices with limited computing power and give users instant responses that fill the lag before the device can access an LLM through the cloud. For instance, a user could ask their smartwatch a question and the micro language model would start responding instantly; then after four to eight words, the LLM would complete the response. The micro language model made mistakes in 4% to 8% of responses that the other model corrected seamlessly before continuing. In a user study, nine out of 10 participants preferred the paired system to the lagging responses from only a cloud model.
For more information, contact ulm@cs.washington.edu or visit the team’s website.
The UW co-authors are Wen Cheng, Tuochao Chen, Luke Zettlemoyer and Shyam Gollakota. A full list of co-authors and funding is in the paper.
Policy gaps impact migrant fishers in Washington state
The commercial fishing industry is key to Washington’s maritime economy, but there are concerns about exploitation and forced labor among fishers. While much of industry is regulated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, exemptions in U.S. law mean some vessels aren’t subject to the same citizenship requirements. A research team from the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies recently published a report focused on understanding the experiences of migrant fishers pursuing albacore tuna, a highly migratory species, who dock or unload at ports in Washington state. Researchers found the exemptions allow migrant fishers to work without authorization or visas, leaving them vulnerable to forced labor and exploitation. Meanwhile, complicated policy and regulatory frameworks make it difficult to address workers’ rights violations. The researchers gathered information from 15 migrant fishers, 14 U.S. citizen fishers, and more than 35 subject matter experts. Every migrant fisher interviewed by the team reported experiences aligned with the International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labor, and both migrant and U.S. citizen fishers reported difficult living and working conditions. Approaches to combating forced labor are varied and uneven, the researchers found, and additional work is needed to better understand and support the needs of Washington’s fishers. Along with the full report, the team also published policy recommendations.
For more information, contact Rachel Erstad, research director at the Bridges Center, at rerstad@uw.edu.
The other UW co-authors are Maya Cruz, Kait Johnson and Justin Hirsch.
Burrowing shrimp are on the move in a mudflat near you
Burrowing shrimp are a pest well known to shellfish growers. These pale-bodied creatures excavate mud as they dig into the ground, creating piles of sediment that suffocate oysters and clams growing on the surface. In estuaries on the west coast, shrimp beds reach densities of hundreds of shrimp per square meter, but the boundaries of beds change. Recent UW research in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science shows that shrimp beds move up to 100 feet each year. The study took place at Willapa Bay over the course of three years and is the first to quantify how rapidly the boundaries of these beds shift over time. Researchers still don’t know why the shrimp move, but they observed a clear pattern in the ecosystem. Shrimp change the texture of sediment by eating organic matter and releasing finer particles, so sediment becomes muddier and more compact once they leave. After several years, these abandoned beds were colonized by eelgrass, a marker of ecosystem health. This “engineering” effect was less evident in areas where moving water keeps mud from settling. Studying these rapid shifts and the types of sediment left behind could ultimately help shellfish growers better protect their product.
For more information, contact co-author Jennifer Ruesink, a UW professor of biology, at ruesink@uw.edu.
The other UW co-authors are Wesley Hull, Haleh Mawson, Kendall Valentine and Andrea Ogston. A full list of co-authors and funding is included in the paper.