UW News

News releases


June 6, 2012

Too few salmon is far worse than too many boats for killer whales – with slide show

Not having enough Chinook salmon to eat stresses out southern resident killer whales more than having boatloads of whale watchers nearby, according to hormone levels of whales summering in the Salish Sea. In lean times, however, the stress normally associated with boats becomes more pronounced, further underscoring the importance of having enough prey.


Babys genome deciphered prenatally from parents lab tests

A maternal blood sample and a paternal saliva specimen contained enough information to map the fetus DNA.


June 4, 2012

Nuclear and coal-fired electrical plants vulnerable to climate change

In a study published this week in Nature Climate Change, University of Washington and European scientists project that in the next 50 years global climate change will disrupt power generation in the U.S. and Europe. Warmer water and lower flows are predicted to interrupt the supply of cooling water.


New statistical model lets patient’s past forecast future ailments

Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter.


June 1, 2012

Computer-designed proteins programmed to disarm a variety of flu viruses

Construction plans for tiny molecules to stop flu viruses from infecting cells may help in fighting other pathogens.


May 31, 2012

Students design underwater robot that does more than score points

A new UW club has qualified to participate in an international underwater robot competition and has designed its robot to be used by UW oceanographers in the field.


May 30, 2012

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.


May 29, 2012

137th Commencement for UW's Seattle campus—1:30 p.m. June 9 at CenturyLink Field

About 5,000 graduates, a record number, are expected to attend the University of Washington commencement ceremonies in Seattle on June 9. President Michael K. Young will officiate.


Mathematicians can conjure matter waves inside an invisible hat

Waves forming shape of 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.


May 28, 2012

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.


May 25, 2012

It's in the genes: Research pinpoints how plants know when to flower

Scientists believe they’ve pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants “know” when to flower. Understanding how flowering works in a simple plant should lead to a better understanding of how the same genes work in more complex plants such as rice and wheat.


May 24, 2012

Academic-industry partnership forms for drug development

The School of Pharmacy and pharmaceutical companies will study the body’s drug transporters to map interactions and individualize therapy.


May 22, 2012

Long-distance training teaches proper technique for asthma test

The virtual teaching of health professionals translates to better asthma care for patients.


May 21, 2012

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.


May 17, 2012

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.


May 16, 2012

Gaydar automatic and more accurate for women's faces, psychologists find

After seeing faces for less than a blink of an eye, college students have accuracy greater than mere chance in judging others sexual orientation.


May 15, 2012

Insulin nasal spray therapy shows memory improvement in Alzheimers patients

A year-long, multi-site clinical trial of insulin nasal spray has been called a significant step forward in measuring the safety and effectiveness of a promising treatment.


New undergraduate summer certificate programs teach career skills

The University of Washington is offering three new undergraduate summer certificate programs this year covering topics including business essentials, database management and localization.


May 14, 2012

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.


May 9, 2012

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.


First quarter home sales surge, while prices languish

Washington’s housing market in the first quarter of 2012 saw the highest seasonally adjusted sales since the first-time buyer tax credit program expired in 2010, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.


May 8, 2012

UW to collaborate on biodefense drug development

The $8.1 million grant will fund work on new drugs against some of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases.


May 7, 2012

Unconscious racial attitudes playing large role in 2012 presidential vote

After the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, many proclaimed that the country had entered a post-racial era. But a new large-scale study by UW psychologists shows that racial attitudes have already played a substantial role in 2012, during the Republican primaries.


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.


May 3, 2012

Human brain evolution tied to partial gene copy that blocks original

A brain-development gene incompletely duplicated about time of the transition of pre-human to more human-like beings.


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.


May 2, 2012

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.


May 1, 2012

Researchers determine Vitamin D blood level for reducing major medical risks in older adults

How much Vitamin D do older adults need to stay healthy? The level may be lower than many think.


April 27, 2012

UW computer science students win national cyber defense competition

Last year, they were underdogs. This year, they’re a dynasty. A team of eight students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering reclaimed the top stop at last weekend’s National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.


‘Attack! of the S. mutans’ 3-D video game featured at national science expo

When tooth-decaying bacteria are on the loose, destroy those oozing biofilms in a interactive School of Dentistry game.


April 26, 2012

Scientists identify potential biomarker to help diagnose autism

Very high levels of porphyrins in a young child’s urine might be predictive of autism risk, a UW and Battelle study suggests.


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.


April 25, 2012

Attend a free UW Medicine womens health evening forum May 16 at the UW Tower

Join us for an evening on women’s health. Listen to talks, check your blood pressure, pick up educational materials, ask questions and be pampered.


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.


April 24, 2012

Global health priorities should shift to preventing risky behaviors in adolescence: UW professor

As deaths from infectious diseases have declined worldwide, policymakers are shifting attention to preventing deaths from noncommunicable causes, such as drug and alcohol use, traffic crashes and unsafe sex practices.


April 23, 2012

Robots fighting wars could be blamed for mistakes on the battlefield

Humans apply a moderate amount of morality and other human characteristics to robots that are equipped with social capabilities and are capable of harming humans, according to UW psychologists.


April 20, 2012

Payment innovation cuts depression time in half

When 25 percent of the payments to community health clinics were based on quality of care, patients received better care and had better depression outcomes.


April 19, 2012

Girls born in 2009 will have shorter lives than their mothers in hundreds of U.S. counties

Lifespan gap between counties grows. Life expectancies for black Americans improve greatly.


April 13, 2012

History Channels Titanic documentary features UW engineers

A History Channel documentary on the Titanic airing Sunday includes materials testing in the UW’s Structural Research Laboratory. UW faculty and staff participated in the testing.


April 11, 2012

Bruce reappointed iSchool dean, plans to increase students, faculty, industrial partnerships

Reappointed for a second five-year term as dean, Harry Bruce plans to add faculty to the UW Information School and hopes to increase enrollment by more than 35 percent. He also aims to increase industrial partnerships.



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