News releases
September 30, 2013
UW engineers invent programming language to build synthetic DNA
A team led by the University of Washington has developed a programming language for chemistry that it hopes will streamline efforts to design a network that can guide the behavior of chemical-reaction mixtures in the same way that embedded electronic controllers guide cars, robots and other devices.
September 19, 2013
Cognitive rehabilitation improves brain function in cancer survivors
A new study shows that cancer survivors who experience memory and thinking problems may benefit from cognitive rehabilitation.
Mantas, devil rays butchered for apothecary trade now identifiable
Dried filters from the mouths of filter-feeding rays started appearing in apothecary shops in recent years, but there’s been no way to know which of these gentle-natured rays was being slaughtered. Now scientists have discovered enough differences to identify the giant manta and eight devil rays using the dried filters.
September 17, 2013
Stronger winds explain puzzling growth of sea ice in Antarctica
Despite warming temperatures, Antarctic sea ice is on track to hit a record high. A new study suggests stronger polar winds can explain the recent increase in Southern Hemisphere sea ice.
Emotional attachment to robots could affect outcome on battlefield
As the military designs field robots to be more human or animal-like, it’s important to study whether soldiers could become emotionally attached to the mechanical tools and less willing to send them into harm’s way.
September 16, 2013
Depletion of ‘traitor’ immune cells slows cancer growth in mice
Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a strategy to slow tumor growth and prolong survival in mice with cancer by targeting and destroying a type of cell that dampens the body’s immune response to cancer.
Freshman Convocation marks opening of UW’s school year
University of Washington President Michael Young will be the featured speaker at the UW’s 30th annual Freshman Convocation, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 in the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
September 13, 2013
Neighborhoods and UW team up to measure diesel exhaust pollution in South Seattle
The residents of the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley now know how much diesel exhaust they are exposed to. A report on findings from an air pollution study comparing these neighborhoods to Beacon Hill and Queen Anne was published today, Sept. 13.
September 12, 2013
Initial positive results reported on vaccine to treat genital herpes
The vaccine is the first to significantly reduce the frequency of viral shedding — the surfacing of herpes virus on the genitals — and appears to activate T cell immune responses to the virus.
Futures Committee suggests new compact for UW and community
A committee of volunteers, including many of the state’s top business and civic leaders, has issued a report recommending a stronger partnership between the University of Washington and the broad community of people that it serves.
September 11, 2013
UW engineers to make cookstoves 10 times cleaner for developing world
University of Washington engineers have received a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to design a better cookstove, which researchers say will use half as much fuel and cut emissions by 90 percent.
September 10, 2013
Two common drugs may help treat deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
A combination of interferon-alpha 2b and ribavirin, drugs routinely given for hepatitis C, may be an effective treatment for the coronovirus that causes this new disease.
September 9, 2013
Gene for most common childhood cancer identified
In children with this form of leukemia, damage to chromosome 9 removes part of a normal copy of the gene in question, and leaves the mutated copy unopposed.
Nearly half of state’s distracted drivers are texting
In our state, texting on a hand-held device diverts drivers’ attention more than any other distraction.
Breaking deep-sea waves reveal mechanism for global ocean mixing
Oceanographers for the first time recorded an enormous wave breaking miles below the surface in a key bottleneck for global ocean circulation.
September 5, 2013
Redesigned feminine hygiene product tackles problem of human trafficking
A group of University of Washington graduate students wanted to help save victims of human trafficking. Along the way they won two prestigious national design awards for their efforts and hope to raise money to help even more people.
September 4, 2013
Pico-world dragnets: Computer-designed proteins recognize and bind small molecules
Computer-designed proteins that can recognize and interact with small biological molecules are now a reality. Scientists have succeeded in creating a protein molecule that can be programmed to unite with three different steroids.
Researchers hope to protect against another HIV-like outbreak
Researchers examining virus transmission from monkeys to humans in Bangladesh found some people are infected with multiple strains of simian foamy virus.
August 30, 2013
New ocean forecast could help predict fish habitat six months in advance
UW researchers and federal scientists have developed the first long-term seasonal forecast of conditions for the Northwest ocean ecosystem.
August 27, 2013
Researcher controls colleague’s motions in 1st human brain-to-brain interface
University of Washington researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher.
August 26, 2013
Microneedle patch could replace standard tuberculosis skin test
A team led by University of Washington engineers has created a patch with tiny, biodegradable needles that can penetrate the skin and precisely deliver a tuberculosis test. The researchers published their results online Aug. 26 in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.
August 21, 2013
Physicists pinpoint key property of material that both conducts and insulates
UW scientists have made the first-ever accurate determination of a solid-state triple point, the temperature and pressure at which three different solid phases can coexist stably.
August 19, 2013
Magma can survive in upper crust for hundreds of millennia
Research shows reservoirs of silica-rich magma, which causes the most explosive volcanic eruptions, can persist in Earth’s upper crust for hundreds of thousands of years without erupting.
August 16, 2013
UW Dentistry tackles a job for Huskies: mouth guards
The winning smiles of the UW Huskies will be protected on the football field with customized mouth guards from UW Pediatric Dentistry.
August 14, 2013
Scientists want a detailed picture of Mount St. Helens’ plumbing
Earth scientists are laying plans for a two-year study designed to develop a better understanding of how Mount St. Helens gets its supply of volcanic magma.
UW geographer devises a way for China to resolve its ‘immigration’ dilemma
University of Washington geographer Kam Wing Chan is in China this week, explaining how that country can dismantle its 55-year-old system that limits rural laborers from moving to and settling in cities and qualifying for basic social benefits.
Earth orbit changes were key to Antarctic warming that ended last ice age
New ice core research shows that the warming that ended the last ice age in Antarctica began at least 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
August 13, 2013
Wireless devices go battery-free with new communication technique
University of Washington engineers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power.
August 12, 2013
Progress made in linking some forms of epilepsy to genetics
Some epilepsy patients who have both seizures and speech abnormalities share something else in common — mutations on the same gene.
August 8, 2013
Ocean acidification center another example of state leading the nation
Washington’s governor and state legislators in the last session created a hub at the University of Washington to coordinate research and monitoring of ocean acidification and its effects on local sea life such as oysters, clams and fish.
August 7, 2013
Washington’s housing market strengthens in second quarter of 2013
Washington state’s housing market continued to advance in the April-June quarter, with four consecutive monthly improvements in home sales activity.
Regulating electron ‘spin’ may be key to making organic solar cells competitive
UW researchers have discovered a high-performance polymer that could make inexpensive, organic solar cells competitive with silicon-based cells.
UW researchers report on genome of aggressive cervical cancer that killed Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks was the subject of bestselling book on the HeLa immortal cell line, the most used of its kind in labs around the world. The UW scientists are the first to publish under new policy, established through agreement with Lacks’ family.
August 5, 2013
Abused children found to smoke more as teens and adults
Researchers have long suspected some kind of link between childhood abuse and smoking. But in an interesting twist, UW researchers found a connection not between whether or not an abused child will ever begin smoking, but to how much they smoke once they do start.
August 1, 2013
Brain chemistry changes in children with autism offer clues to earlier detection and intervention
Between ages three and 10, children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit distinct brain chemical changes that differ from children with developmental delays and children with typical development.
Burnt sugar-derivative reduces muscle wasting in fly and mouse models of muscular dystrophy
A trace substance in caramelized sugar, when purified and given in appropriate doses, improves muscle regeneration in insect and animal models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
July 31, 2013
University presidents urge President Obama, Congress to address “innovation deficit”
University of Washington President Michael K. Young today joined more than 160 other university presidents and chancellors in calling on leaders in Washington to close what they call the “innovation deficit.”
July 30, 2013
Fifty years of ecological insights earn UW biologist international award
Biologist Robert Paine has been awarded this year’s International Cosmos Prize that carries a cash award of about $408,000 and has previously gone to well-known conservationists such as David Attenborough and the leaders behind the Census of Marine Life project.
Santa’s workshop not flooded – but lots of melting in the Arctic
Widespread media reports of a lake at the North Pole don’t hold water — but scientists who deployed the monitoring buoys are watching closely as Arctic sea ice approaches its yearly minimum.
July 29, 2013
Planetary ‘runaway greenhouse’ more easily triggered, research shows
It might be easier than previously thought for a planet to overheat into the uninhabitable “runaway greenhouse” stage, according to new research.
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