News releases
November 6, 2013
A shot in the dark: Detector at UW on the hunt for dark matter

Physicists are using a detector at the UW to search for a particle called an axion, which would be the first physical evidence of the universe’s dark matter.
November 4, 2013
More wildfires, earlier snowmelt, coastal threats top Northwest climate risks

A new comprehensive report co-authored by the UW’s Climate Impacts Group looks at what climate change will mean for Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
UW Bothell prof, students present crowd-funded study of coal train emissions

Atmospheric scientist Dan Jaffe tonight will present the first results of a crowd-funded study of train emissions, conducted with four undergraduates from the Seattle and Bothell campuses and funded by public donations.
November 1, 2013
UW surgical robot featured in 2013 movie ‘Ender’s Game’

A University of Washington surgical research robot appears in the sci-fi movie “Ender’s Game” starring Harrison Ford. Two UW students operated the robot during the filming of the movie, which opens Nov. 1 in theaters across the country.
October 31, 2013
Epilepsy film to be screened Nov. 9 at Harborview Medical Center

Independent film producer Louis Stanislaw will present “Living on the Edge” at 10 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Harborview Medical Center Research & Training Building. The showing will be followed by a panel discussion of individuals living with epilepsy and UW Medicine professionals who treat seizure disorders.
October 30, 2013
A first step in learning by imitation, baby brains respond to another’s actions

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery for adults, but for babies it’s their foremost tool for learning. Now researchers from the University of Washington and Temple University have found the first evidence revealing a key aspect of the brain processing that occurs in babies to allow this learning by observation.
October 29, 2013
Crashing rockets could lead to novel sample-return technology

This year, in an annual trek to the Nevada desert, UW students deliberately launched rockets from altitude directly into a dry lakebed. These were early tests of a concept that eventually could be used to collect and return samples from an erupting volcano, a melting nuclear reactor or even an asteroid in space.
John Schaufelberger appointed dean of the UW College of Built Environments

University of Washington President Michael K. Young and Provost Ana Mari Cauce have announced that they are appointing interim dean John E. Schaufelberger to be the next dean of the UW College of Built Environments.
Redwood trees reveal history of West Coast rain, fog, ocean conditions

Scientists found a way to use coastal redwood trees as a window into historic climate, using oxygen and carbon atoms in the wood to detect fog and rainfall in previous seasons.
October 28, 2013
UW hosts series of events for Veterans Appreciation Week Nov. 5 to 11

The University of Washington is planning a number of events that will be held during the week preceding Veterans Day.
October 21, 2013
‘Pushback’: Resisting the life of constant connectivity

Researchers at the University of Washington have studied and named a trend lots of people can identify with: the desire to resist constant connectivity and step back from the online world.
Three UW faculty members elected to Institute of Medicine

Blood disease specialist Dr. Janis Abkowitz and drug safety expert Dr, Bruce Psaty today were named new members of the prestigious Institute of Medicine, an honorary and national advisory group.
October 20, 2013
Global ocean currents explain why Northern Hemisphere is the soggier one

A new study in Nature Geoscience explains a major feature of global precipitation, and shows how a current originating from the poles influences tropical rainfall in Africa and southern India.
October 18, 2013
UW receives grant from attorney general’s office for pain management

The University of Washington has received an 18-month grant of $110,299 from the state Attorney General’s Office to provide training and education for health professionals and the general public on the subject of chronic pain management and cannabis use.
October 17, 2013
Yoga accessible for the blind with new Microsoft Kinect-based program

A team of University of Washington computer scientists has created a software program that watches a user’s movements and gives spoken feedback using a Microsoft Kinect on what to change to accurately complete a yoga pose.
October 15, 2013
Study: Nearly 500,000 perished in Iraq war

A new study estimates nearly a half-million people died from causes attributable to the war in Iraq from 2003 through 2011. The results come from the first population-based survey since 2006 to estimate war-related deaths in Iraq, and the first study covering the conflict’s full timespan.
Nanopore sequencing technology lands licensing deal

A San Diego company has licensed UW-developed technology capable of reading the sequence of a single DNA molecule.
October 9, 2013
New strategy lets cochlear implant users hear music

University of Washington scientists have developed a new way of processing the signals in cochlear implants to help users hear music better. The technique lets users perceive differences between musical instruments, a significant improvement from what standard cochlear implants can offer.
October 8, 2013
UW, local company building innovative deep-sea manned submarine

The UW, Boeing and an Everett company are building a carbon-fiber submersible that will carry five passengers almost 2 miles deep.
October 3, 2013
My HeartMap Seattle Challenge enlists the public to locate city’s life-saving devices

If you witness a heart attack, would you know where the nearest AED is? A Seattle contest will help pre-hospital emergency care leaders locate the city’s automatic external defibrillators, which can help restore normal heart rhythms and coach in CPR.
October 1, 2013
Estrogen pills for menopause symptoms vary in blood clot risk

A recent observational study comparing the safety of estradiol and conjugated equine estrogen associated estradiol with a lower risk of leg vein and lung clots.
September 30, 2013
3 UW professors honored by NIH for innovative biomedical research

Three University of Washington faculty members are among those honored with a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s High Risk-High Reward program.
UW researchers helped draft international assessment of climate change

UW faculty members were among international researchers who compiled the fifth climate-change assessment report. The UW will host a seminar Tuesday, Oct. 1 with some of the Seattle-area authors.
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.
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