News releases
November 30, 2012
Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV
Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV. New funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will further test the system’s versatility and feasibility.
November 29, 2012
Rules devised for building ideal protein molecules from scratch
These principles could allow scientists to custom-make, rather than re-purpose, protein molecules for vaccines, drugs, and industrial and environmental uses.
International study provides more solid measure of shrinking in polar ice sheets
Climatologists have reconciled their measurements of ice loss in Antarctica and Greenland during the past two decades. A second article looks at how to monitor and understand accelerating losses from the planet’s two largest continental ice sheets.
November 28, 2012
Harmful protein-coding mutations in people arose largely in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years
The spectrum of human genetic diversity today is vastly different than what it was only 200 to 400 generations ago.
Hungry salmon a problem for restoration efforts
Food webs needed by young salmon in the Columbia River basin are likely compromised in places, something that should be considered when prioritizing expensive restoration activities.
November 21, 2012
UW rates gold in sustainability assessment, strongest performer in Pac-12
The UW has the strongest sustainability performance in the Pac-12 according to a new rating system.
November 19, 2012
Mutations in genes that modify DNA packaging result in form of muscular dystrophy
Studying the molecular basis of progressive muscle weakness may lead to therapies to prevent or reduce symptoms.
November 14, 2012
Power, work struggles in Bangladesh households linked to domestic violence
In Bangladesh as elsewhere, women are empowered by working outside the home. But new research from the University of Washington shows such work can also increase the threat of domestic violence for some Bangladeshi wives. The study brings to light how the South Asian nation is seeing a change in relations within the household, with…
November 13, 2012
Roots of deadly 2010 India flood identified; findings could improve warnings
UW researchers find the flash flood was set off by a string of unusual weather events similar to those that caused catastrophic U.S. floods in the 1970s.
November 9, 2012
UW Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics named for William E. Boeing
The UW Board of Regents yesterday approved a name change to the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, recognizing the shared history of UW aeronautics and The Boeing Company, and honoring the man who launched them both.
November 8, 2012
Extra chromosome 21 removed from Down syndrome cell line
The approach could lead to cell therapy treatments for some of the blood-forming disorders that accompany the common genetic condition.
UW commemorates Veterans Day with ceremony, first-time award for alumni veteran
The University of Washington will commemorate Veterans Day with a ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 near the Medal of Honor Memorial at the foot of Memorial Way.
Pamela Mitchell receives American Heart Association’s highest nursing award
Mitchell, honored for her work with stroke survivors, is involved in improving the lives of cardiovascular disease patients who have depression.
November 5, 2012
Home sales, median prices up in Washington; affordability slips
Washington state’s housing market continued to improve during the third quarter of 2012 as median selling prices and the number of homes sold both increased, according to the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington. Existing home sales increased 3.4 percent from the second quarter, to seasonally adjusted annual rate of…
October 29, 2012
Early autism intervention improves brain responses to social cues
An autism intervention program that emphasizes social interactions improves cognitive skills and brain responses to faces, the first demonstration that an intensive behavioral intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism.
October 25, 2012
Students win $100K for 3-D printer to turn waste plastic into composting toilets, rainwater harvesting systems
Three undergraduates won $100,000 to form a company that will work with partners in Oaxaca, Mexico, to build machines that can transform waste plastic into composting toilets and pieces for rainwater harvesting systems.
October 22, 2012
Friendship 2.0: Teens’ technology use promotes sense of belonging, identity
A new study from the University of Washington shows that digital media helps teens reach developmental milestones, but raises questions about whether digital connectedness might hinder the development of an autonomous sense of self.
October 18, 2012
President Young launches new initiative to lead change in higher education and address major societal issues
University of Washington President Michael K. Young today announced a new initiative aimed at advancing the university’s teaching, research and service to meet the major challenges of the 21st century. The initiative, called “Tomorrow’s University Today,” will focus on three key areas: leading change in public higher education, addressing critical societal problems like sustainability, health…
2012 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Brian Kobilka will speak at UW Oct. 23
The Stanford University faculty member will talk about a group of cell membrane receptors that are crucial for emotion, behavior, memory, vision, motion and many other activities. About 40 percent of medications act via these receptors.
October 17, 2012
Scientists building crowdsourced encyclopedia to further Puget Sound recovery
Representatives of the Encyclopedia of Earth and the Encyclopedia of Life will be on the University of Washington campus Wednesday, Oct. 24, for the public launch of an encyclopedia unique to Puget Sound.
Living Voters Guide adds fact-checking by Seattle librarians for 2012 election
The Living Voters Guide, created by the UW and presented with Seattle’s CityClub, just won a regional award and has been updated for the 2012 election. This year the guide has expanded to include a California edition, and the Washington guide will include fact-checking of selected points by Seattle Public Library staff.
October 16, 2012
Marriage, education can help improve well-being of adults abused as children
Researchers investigating the long-term consequences of child abuse have identified some protective factors that can improve the health of victims during their adulthood.
October 11, 2012
UW research ranks fourth among world universities
Rankings released by National Taiwan University places the UW fourth among the world’s universities and first among American public universities in scientific research.
Mug handles could help hot plasma give lower-cost, controllable fusion energy
New hardware lets engineers maintain the plasma used in fusion reactors in an energy-efficient, stable manner, making the system potentially attractive for use in fusion power plants.
October 8, 2012
‘Food deserts’ abound in King County for those without cars, UW study shows
King County has no substantial food deserts, provided one has a car. Take away the car, however, and food deserts — areas where low-income people have limited access to low-cost, nutritious food — appear to fill the county map. New research from the University of Washington, published in the American Journal of Public Health, shows…
October 2, 2012
Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics
Global health researchers are working on cheap systems like a home-based pregnancy test that might work for malaria, diabetes or other diseases. A new chemical technique makes medically interesting molecules stick to regular paper — a possible route to building such paper-based diagnostics from paper you could buy at an office-supply store.
UW scientists team with Coast Guard to explore ice-free Arctic Ocean
UW scientists are teaming with the U.S. Coast Guard to study the new frontier in the Arctic Ocean opened up with the melting ice.
‘A-game’ strategies for parents, coaches in youth sports
Parents typically are the biggest headaches for coaches in youth sports. In two new books, UW psychology professors share strategies to help parents and coaches work together to help kids get more out of sports.
October 1, 2012
Among voters lacking strong party preferences, Obama faces 20 percent handicap due to race bias
Race biases are having a strong anti-Obama effect among the least politically partisan voters, according to a study by Anthony Greenwald, a UW psychology professor.
UW composer fills arboretum byways with her ‘Music of Trees’
A UW doctoral student in musical composition uses sounds from the Washington Park Arboretum to create music that’s part natural, part imagined.
September 28, 2012
Duplex-sequencing method could lead to better cancer detection and treatment
Two young UW researchers sought to reduce the error rate in DNA sequencing to better pinpoint cells that are mutating.
September 27, 2012
Dynamics of DNA packaging helps regulate heart formation
Findings suggest new ways to study controls of early human development, causes of birth defects, and regeneration of damaged tissue.
Browser plug-in helps people balance their political news reading habits
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, many voters become voracious consumers of online political news. A new tool tracks whether all those articles really provide a balanced view of the debate – and, if not, suggests some sites that offer opinions from the other side of the political spectrum.
September 23, 2012
Large bacterial population colonized land 2.75 billion years ago
New University of Washington research suggests that early microbes might have been widespread on land, producing oxygen before the atmosphere was oxygen-rich.
September 20, 2012
The original Twitter? Tiny electronic tags monitor birds’ social networks
A tiny digital tag developed at the UW can for the first time see when birds meet in the wild, offering a window into animal social networks. A study in Current Biology used the tags to track the social habits of New Caledonian crows, and found a surprising amount of interaction among the tool-using birds.
September 18, 2012
Center for Chemical Innovation receives NSF reauthorization of $20 million
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $20 million grant over five years in reauthorizing the Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis based at the University of Washington.
Local scientists chosen for NIH High Risk High Rewards program
The scientists were selected for their inventive ideas to transform their field of research and improve the health of the public.
App lets you monitor lung health using only a smartphone
Feeling wheezy? You could call the doctor. Or soon you could use your smartphone to diagnose your lung health, with a new app that uses the frequencies in the breath to determine how much and how fast you can exhale.
September 17, 2012
Shrinking snow depth on Arctic sea ice threatens ringed seal habitat
Scientists found that the habitat required for ringed seals — animals under consideration for the threatened species list — to rear their young will drastically shrink this century.
September 14, 2012
Researchers come a step closer to finding HIV vaccine
Finding that the failed vaccine RV144 did offer some protection against certain HIV viruses suggests a more potent vaccine might be possible.
Previous page Next page
