Sunbirds may look similar to hummingbirds — small, iridescent birds with thin bills — but it turns out the two are only distantly related. Sunbirds live primarily in Africa, Asia and Australia, and have a unique way to slurp up nectar. Unlike hummingbirds, which use minute movements in their bills to sip nectar, sunbirds use their tongues as a straw. published in Current Biology, a team led by researchers at the ������Ƶ showed that these long-billed birds can change the pressure at the base of their tongues to create suction that moves nectar through their tongues and into their mouths, a novel mechanism never before seen in vertebrates. The researchers used multiple techniques — including high-speed video of sunbirds drinking red-dyed nectar from transparent artificial flowers — to demonstrate this phenomenon across multiple sunbird species as well as build a mathematical model that describes how it works. Sunbirds pollinate the flowers they drink from, and researchers are interested in understanding how different sunbird species’ plant preferences affect the plant-pollinator networks across continents.

For more information, contact lead author , who completed this research as a UW doctoral student in biology, at david_cuban@brown.edu.����

The other UW co-author is . A full list of co-authors and funding is included . Related stories in and .��

Seattle Fault gets 5,000 more years of sleep��

Just over 1,100 years ago an on the Seattle fault rocked — and reshaped — the Puget Sound region. It lifted the sea floor and sent a powerful tsunami through the sound. Researchers have estimated that this fault, which runs east to west beneath the middle of the city, will produce a large earthquake every 5,000 years or so. However, , recently published in Geology, pushes that estimate back to 11,000 years. The researchers extended this window by scouring submerged shorelines for evidence of significant elevation changes. The geological record at these sites dates back 11,000 years, but they only found evidence of one major earthquake. This information could be useful to those making seismic hazard maps, which help people understand the risks associated with different regions. Although other regional faults and the imposing pose more imminent risks to residents, the main Seattle fault doesn’t appear to be ready for rupture anytime soon.

For more information, contact lead author , UW research scientist of Earth and space sciences, at edav@uw.edu.

The other UW co-author is . A full list of co-authors and funding is included in the paper. Related story in .

The PNW has many rivers, but no system for gauging landslide dam risk

Scientists have a new tool for estimating lesser known hazards in the Pacific Northwest: and outburst floods. Landslides along rivers can block the flow of water downstream, creating a lake just above the slide area. Most landslide dams fail within 10 days, releasing trapped water in an outburst flood, which can be devastating. Last fall, 20 people died after in Taiwan. published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, UW researchers debut a mathematical approach to mapping landslide dam hazards based on valley width and projected slide size. When they applied the tool to a mountain range in Oregon, they found that roughly one-third of rivers in the study area were susceptible to landslide dams, with risk increasing in mountainous areas. If a landslide dam does form, alleviating pressure by for water to escape can help prevent flooding. Identifying high risk areas can help guide emergency response efforts following storms, earthquakes and other events that increase landslide risk.

For more information, contact lead author , UW doctoral student of Earth and space sciences, at pmmorgan@uw.edu.

The other UW co-author is . A full list of co-authors and funding is .

Rubin observatory expected to spot many ‘imminent impactor’ asteroids

Small asteroids — those 1 to 20 meters in diameter —�� hit the Earth 35-40 times per year, though they’re very rarely spotted by telescopes before impact. That could soon change: published in The Astrophysical Journal, UW astronomers calculate that the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory could discover one to two Earth-impacting asteroids annually , roughly doubling the number currently logged. The researchers expect Rubin to discover these asteroids an average of 1.5 days before impact, which is more warning time than ever before. Advance notice is extremely valuable in the case of larger asteroids that could be a threat to people or infrastructure. Because the Rubin Observatory is located in the Southern Hemisphere, it will likely discover many Earth impactors that existing asteroid surveys — concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere — miss.

For more information, contact lead author Ian Chow, a UW graduate student of astronomy, at chowian@uw.edu.

Other UW co-authors are Mario Jurić, Joachim Moeyens, Aren N. Heinze and Jacob A. Kurlander. A full list of co-authors is included .

Many marine microbes share a genetic toolbox for fixing supper at sea

Researchers have now identified a set of genes that allow some bacteria to process a compound, called homarine, that is abundant in the ocean and appears to play a key role in nutrient cycling. Phytoplankton produce loads of homarine, but scientists weren’t sure what became of it until now. In a recent study published in Nature Microbiology, researchers found a set of genes present in common and far-flung bacteria that convert homarine into glutamic acid, an essential building block for life. This suggests that homarine may be a vital and overlooked resource and highlights the importance of bacteria in stabilizing marine ecosystems. Previous studies also found that homarine serves as and helps small crabs . The UW team will continue studying homarine to better understand how it fits into the broader ecological landscape.

For more information, contact senior author , a UW professor of oceanography, at aingalls@uw.edu.��

The other UW co-authors are , , , , , and �� A full list of co-authors and funding is

Nautilus and Allonautilus cephalopods and their extinct ancestors have been drifting through of the ocean for more than 500 million years. Researchers have spent the last 40 years trying to understand how these mysterious “living fossils” thrive in areas with limited nutrients. published in Scientific Reports, a UW-led team documented new habits and habitats for current Nautilus and Allonautilus species. These creatures appear to live in deeper water than their extinct cousins did, and the younger ones live twice as deep as the fully mature adults. Nautilus and Allonautilus species scavenge their food and never stop moving. While a few species migrate hundreds of meters down at dawn and then back up at dusk every day, the team found that most species aren’t quite as intrepid. The researchers also describe a new population of Allonautilus in waters off the island , one of several populations thriving due to hunting restrictions inspired in part by research efforts from this team.

For more information, contact senior author , UW professor of both biology and Earth and space sciences, at argo@uw.edu.

Other UW co-authors are , and . A full list of co-authors and funding is included

Green clay tennis courts become carbon negative after 10 years

The United States has around a quarter of a million tennis courts, 40,000 of which are helping mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Green clay tennis courts, an alternative to traditional hard courts and the red clay courts popular in Europe, are constructed with a type of rock that reacts with carbon dioxide and water to sequester carbon as a stable dissolved salt. In , UW researchers show that in the U.S., green clay courts remove 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year and 80% of green clay courts make up for construction emissions within 10 years. Moving forward, the researchers hope to experiment with other materials that also remove carbon dioxide without compromising performance for players.

For more information contact lead author , UW assistant professor of oceanography, at fjpavia@uw.edu.

A full list of co-authors and funding is available .

Temperature dynamics, not just extremes, impact heat tolerance in mussels

Intertidal mussels, forming bumpy layers on shoreline rocks, withstand significant temperature swings as the tide ebbs and flows. These creatures live in one of the most thermally variable environments on Earth, but a new study shows that the rate, timing and duration of heating and cooling impact their metabolic rate, a proxy for overall health. At the UW’s , researchers exposed mussels to temperature regimens with equal highs and lows but different patterns of change. Even when the average temperature for a set period was the same, the mussels’ response was distinct. These results, , show that predicting how marine organisms respond to climate change means considering how temperature changes over time, not just how warm it gets.

For more information, contact lead author , assistant professor of biology at the College of the Holy Cross and a mentor for the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories , at mnishizaki@holycross.edu.

The other UW co-author is . A full list of co-authors and funding is available .

When algae stop growing, bacteria start swarming

Tiny geometric algae, called , produce nearly a quarter of the world’s organic matter by photosynthesis. In the microscopic marine universe, diatoms coexist with both harmful and helpful bacteria. A new study, , describes how a recently identified species of marine bacteria targets diatoms based on growth phase and nutrient availability. Growing diatoms can resist bacterial attacks, but when growth ceases, the bacteria modulate their gene expression patterns to become aggressive — first swimming and releasing compounds that damage the diatom and then clustering around them to feed. Bacteria can also overcome the diatom’s defenses in nutrient-rich environments. These findings highlight the dynamic relationship between bacteria and algae in the lab. Moving forward, researchers will explore what, if anything, changes in a more complex environment.

For more information, contact lead author , UW postdoctoral fellow in oceanography, at dawiener5@gmail.com.

Other UW co-authors are and . A full list of co-authors and funding is available .

Magical moments and memorable events — from a baby sea star getting its first taste of the open ocean to a cherry tree blooming — happen all year round at the ������Ƶ, and we do all we can to help people understand what it looked like, what happened and who was involved. Here’s a glimpse, through the video lens, at 2024 from around the ������Ƶ and beyond.

UW videographers captured students starting their college careers and celebrating graduation, educators sharing knowledge on everything from mosquitoes to medieval monsters, researchers developing wearable tech that helps us hear a single voice in a crowd or that can be powered by our own bodies, and UW Medicine surgeons. UW students, faculty and staff are at work bringing dentistry professionals to rural communities,  measuring jet noise and combing community health records for connections between wildfire smoke and dementia.

If that wasn’t enough, the UW saw and prepared to say goodbye to UW President Ana Mari Cauce, who announced that she will step down from her position this summer.

The UW News office and share these and more stories about outstanding people, programs and research coming out of the university. In addition to publishing news releases a�Ի� connecting reporters with faculty experts, the news office offers video stories, soundbites and b-roll to external news outlets to use in broadcasts, online stories and social media. This year, these videos were shared by television stations, radio stations and online publications around the state, the nation and the world.

Happy New Year! You can follow us and find more stories on the UW News website,, and, and the , , and .������

For more information, contact Kiyomi Taguchi, UW News video producer: ktaguchi@uw.edu or 206-685-2716. 

��

This video is also available with additional .

Across campus —��and across the state — this year, the ������Ƶ’s collective creativity, passion and innovation came together to forge new connections, push boundaries and better understand the world.����

This minute-long video is a glimpse at just some of the video stories the UW News office produced this year. Throughout 2023, UW students, faculty and staff worked in, with and for communities, developing solutions to local, and global, challenges. Their tools were both manual and high tech, their experiences individual and shared. They took their inspiration from the smallest creatures of the natural world, to the vastness of outer space, to the people around them every day.����

The spirit of community was everywhere, from Presidential Scholar Parker Ritzmann and his Spokane coffee business benefiting a local children’s home, to the multi-disciplinary research team helping the entire city of Westport with tsunami preparedness. Groups came together to build benches and encourage conversation at Gould Hall; to carve canoe paddles to ply the waters of Puget Sound; and to join the organization Outdoors for All for adaptive recreation at Snoqualmie Pass.��

The UW News office shares these and other stories and information about outstanding people, programs and research coming out of the university. In addition to publishing news releases a�Ի� connecting reporters with faculty experts, the News office offers video stories, soundbites and b-roll to external news outlets to use in broadcasts, online stories and social media.��

In 2023, UW News videos were used across the country by television stations, radio stations and online publications, and garnered more than 320,000 views on the UW News website and social media.

For more information, contact Kiyomi Taguchi, UW News video producer: ktaguchi@uw.edu or 206-685-2716.��

This video is also available with an��.

This year the ������Ƶ campus once again was bustling after a quieter couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2022 saw the UW community continue to come together again with more in-person events and fascinating research that make videographers excited to hit “record” and share these scenes.

This 80-second video looks back on the year, offering a taste of what students, faculty and staff were up to — from building more comfortable��prosthetics��and cultivating a Pacific Northwest��maple syrup��industry to multiple��commencement ceremonies��and inclusive��summer camps.

In 2022, UW News also launched a story project highlighting ways in which our researchers and staff are problem-solving and having an impact across the state. The “For Washington” series visits places like Yakima, Twisp and Shelton where the UW is working side by side with shellfish farmers, fruit industry managers and fire-prone communities to build better futures.

The UW News office is here to share stories and information about outstanding people, programs and research coming out of the ������Ƶ. In addition to publishing news releases and connecting reporters with faculty experts, we offer video stories, soundbites and b-roll to external news outlets to use in broadcasts, online stories and social media.

In 2022, UW News videos were used across the country by television stations, radio stations and online publications, and garnered more than 100,000 views on our website and social media.

For more information, contact:

Kiyomi Taguchi, UW News video producer: ktaguchi@uw.edu or 206-685-2716.

This video is also available with an .

As the year draws to a close, here are highlights from video stories produced by UW News during 2021 — a year where the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact our lives.

As we learned more about ways to meet this challenge, many students, faculty and staff returned to campus. We continued to teach, learn and work while getting vaccinated, boosted, masking up and staying connected in new and different ways.

Our mission at UW News is to share the stories of the outstanding people, programs and research coming out of the ������Ƶ. In addition to publishing news releases and connecting reporters with faculty experts, we offer video stories, soundbites and b-roll to external news outlets to use in broadcasts, online stories and social media.

Covering topics from artificial intelligence to zooplankton, UW News videos were used in 2021 by outlets such as WIRED, PBS, local TV stations and radio stations and garnered more than a quarter-million views across our platforms.

Thank you to all of the people who collaborated in making these videos. We could not tell these stories without you.

For more information, contact:

Kiyomi Taguchi, UW News video producer: ktaguchi@uw.edu or 206-685-2716.

The ������Ƶ’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to����released March 17.

Several schools and departments placed prominently in the 2021 rankings, including nursing, medicine, pharmacy and public affairs.

“More than at any time before, it is clear how much our society depends on highly trained and skilled researchers, health care professionals and experts across a vast array of disciplines��to address and solve the serious challenges our world faces,”��UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. “I am deeply proud of the incredible programs across the UW that are producing these talented Ph.D.s and professionals, and these rankings are a fitting recognition of their outstanding quality and impact.”

The UW School of Nursing received the No. 1 overall ranking for a school offering a doctor of nursing practice program, a position it shared with Columbia University’s School of Nursing. The UW School of Nursing was ranked No. 2 among public schools that offer a master’s degree and tied for No. 6 overall.

The UW School of Medicine ranked second in the nation in the categories of family medicine and primary care medical schools . In 2018, medical student training in rural medicine ranked No. 1; this category has not been re-ranked since. Based on U.S. News calculations, the UW medical school received $783 million in National Institutes of Health federal research funding in fiscal year 2019. Harvard Medical School was the only institution listed as receiving a greater amount.

The UW School of Pharmacy rose in the ranking to seventh place from ninth.

Ranked third among public institutions, the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for the fourth consecutive year. The Evans School also ranked in the top 10 in the following areas: environmental policy, public finance and budgeting, social policy, nonprofit management and public management and leadership.

Information about U.S. News & World Report’s methodology can be found��.

Below is a roundup of the UW’s graduate and professional school and program rankings that were available under embargo to institutions before the full rankings were published.

TOP 10:

Doctor of Nursing Practice (overall): Tie for 1st

Biostatistics:��Three-way tie for 1st (ranked in 2019)

Rural medicine: 1st (ranked in 2018)

Law librarianship: 1st (ranked in 2017)

Environmental policy: 2nd

Family medicine: 2nd

Primary care medical schools: Tie for 2nd

Microbiology: Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2019)

Library and information studies: 2nd��(ranked in 2017)

Services for children and youth: 2nd (ranked in 2017)

School of Social Work (overall): Five-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2019)

Digital librarianship:��3rd (ranked in 2017)

Information systems: 3rd (ranked in 2017)

Physics (nuclear): 4th (ranked in 2019)

Statistics: Tie for 4th (ranked in 2019)

Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 5th

Artificial intelligence: 5th (ranked in 2019)

Genetics/Genomics/Bioinformatics: 5th (ranked in 2019)

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Tie for 6th

Nursing master’s (overall): Three-way tie for 6th

Computer science (overall): Tie for 6th (ranked in 2019)

Programming language: 6th (ranked in 2019)

Systems: 6th (ranked in 2019)

Education (special education): 7th

Pediatrics: 7th

Pharmacy: Six-way tie for 7th

Public finance and budgeting: 7th

Social policy: Tie for 7th

School library media: 7th (ranked in 2017)

Geriatrics: 7th (ranked in 2018)

School of Public Health (overall): 7th (ranked in 2020)

Education (elementary��education): 8th

Education (secondary education): 8th

Nonprofit management: 8th

Nurse midwifery: Three-way tie for 8th

Chemistry (analytical): 8th (ranked in 2019)

Public management and leadership: Tie for 9th

Internal medicine: Tie for 10th

Speech-language pathology: Six-way tie for 10th

Earth sciences: Three-way tie for 10th (ranked in 2019)

TOP 25:

Anesthesiology: 13th

Biological sciences: Three-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2019)

Business (information systems): Tie for 17th

Chemistry: Six-way tie for 24th (ranked in 2019)

Computer science (theory): 11th (ranked in 2019)

College of Education (overall): 14th

Education (administration/supervision): 11th

Education (psychology): Four-way tie for 18th

Education (policy): Three-way tie for 14th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Three-way tie for 11th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 24th

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Three-way tie for 18th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Four-way tie for 12th

Engineering (chemical): Five-way tie for 23rd

Engineering (computer): Tie for 12th

Engineering (civil): Five-way tie for 16th

Engineering (electrical): Three-way tie for 19th

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Three-way tie for 22nd

Entrepreneurship: 16th

Executive MBA: Tie for 18th

Foster School of Business (overall): Tie for 20th

Health care management: Tie for 15th (ranked in 2019)

History: Four-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2019)

Information systems: Tie for 17th

Law (intellectual property law): Three-way tie for 18th

Local government management: 15th

Mathematics (applied math): 11th (ranked in 2019)

Mathematics (analysis): 17th (ranked in 2019)

Nurse practitioner (adult, acute care): Tie for 13th (ranked in 2019)

Nurse practitioner (psychiatric/mental health): Three-way tie for 11th

Obstetrics and gynecology: Four-way tie for 16th

Occupational therapy: Six-way tie for 23rd

Part-time MBA: Tie for 10th

Psychiatry: 18th

Physics: 22nd (ranked in 2019)

Physician assistant: 14th

Public policy analysis: Tie for 12th

Radiology: 13th

School of Medicine (medical research): 12th

Sociology: Five-way tie for 17th (ranked in 2019)

Sociology (population): 14th (ranked in 2019)

Surgery: 16th

Urban policy: Tie for 16th

TOP 35:

Accounting: Seven-way tie for 25th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 24th

Economics: Tie for 35th (ranked in 2019)

Engineering (environmental/environmental health): Four-way tie for 27th

Engineering (materials): Tie for 29th

Engineering (mechanical): Three-way tie for 34th

English: Seven-way tie for 35th (ranked in 2019)Fine arts: Ten-way tie for 32nd

Law (environmental): Tie for 31st

Law (health care): Eight-way tie for 32nd

Mathematics:��Six-way tie for 26th (ranked in 2019)

Physical therapy: Nine-way tie for 25th

Psychology: 10-way tie for 26th (ranked in 2019)

Political science: Four-way tie for 33rd (ranked in 2019)

is the study of life in the universe and of the terrestrial environments and planetary and stellar processes that support it. To study astrobiology is to ask questions that cut across multiple disciplines and could take lifetimes to answer. The field gathers expertise from a host of other disciplines including biology, chemistry, geology, oceanography, atmospheric and Earth science, aeronautical engineering and of course astronomy itself.

These questions also include: What can Earth’s own species, and its chemical past, tell us about how to spot life elsewhere? How did the first cells arise? Can we map the surfaces of exoplanets? How can we motivate students to be curious about space?

Every two years, researchers gather from around the world to share and discuss their latest findings in a weeklong conference. Called for short, this year’s conference will be held June 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue. It’s the biggest meeting of astrobiologists in the world and dozens of ������Ƶ researchers will attend and participate.

Public attitudes have warmed greatly toward astrobiology in the 21^st century, prompted by exoplanet discoveries and exploration of other worlds in the solar system. Study of extraterrestrial life remains a hopeful science wryly aware that, as an old joke goes, it has yet to prove that its very subject matter exists.

The UW founded its own program in 1999, involving roughly 30 faculty and about as many students a year. “The program is a leader in both training the next generation of astrobiologists and in fundamental astrobiology research,” said , UW professor of astronomy and principal investigator for the UW-based , which explores computer models of planetary environments and will be the subject of a .

“The Astrobiology Science Conference is the biggest meeting of astrobiologists in the world, and this year, members of the UW Astrobiology Program are playing a major role in conference organization, as well as presenting our research at the meeting,” said Meadows, who chaired the science committee for AcSciCon2019.

Here are several UW presentations and papers scheduled for the weeklong conference. Though the lead presenter is listed here only, most projects involve the work of several colleagues.

• A study of water vapor and ice particles emitting from the plume on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, leading to a better understanding of the moon’s subsurface ocean. With Earth and space sciences doctoral student and colleagues. ()
• An examination of whether the coming James Webb Space Telescope will be able to detect atmospheres for all worlds in the intriguing, seven-planet system TRAPPIST-1, and finding that clouds and water vapor in the planets’ atmospheres might make such study more challenging. With astronomy and astrobiology doctoral student and colleagues. ()
• Description of a new open-source computer software package called VPLanet that simulates a wide range of planetary systems across billions of years, simulating atmospheres, orbits and stellar phenomena that can affect a planet’s ability to sustain liquid water on its surface, which is key to life. With Rory Barnes and colleagues. ()
• An exploration of how viruses and hosts co-evolved, enabling microbial life in extremely cold brines. With oceanography professor ().
• Modeling Earth’s atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago and the effect of iron-rich micrometeorites that rained down, melted and interacted with the surrounding gases, leading to a better understanding of carbon dioxide levels at that time. With Earth and space sciences graduate student and colleagues. ()
• A presentation on the UW Astronomy Department’s successful outreach to students through its that visits K-12 schools, enabling them to create shows of their own. With astronomy research assistant professor and several colleagues. and .)
• An exploration of how to determine if oxygen detected on an exoplanet is really produced by life, using high-resolution planetary spectra from ground-based telescopes. With , an astronomy doctoral student, and colleagues. ()
• A discussion of how studying a giant Pacific Octopus might help us learn more about different forms of cognition and better know and understand life beyond Earth — if we ever find it. With , a doctoral student in psychology. ()
• A study of microbial life in extremely cold brines within unfrozen subsurface areas of permafrost, and their possible relevance to similar environments on Mars or icy moons in the solar system. With , a doctoral student in biological oceanography, and colleagues. (.)

Many other UW faculty members will participate, either with reports on their own research or in support of colleagues or graduate students. These include ESS professors , , , , , astronomy professors , and , among others.

Astrobiologists such as Sullivan point out that the field’s focus and scientific benefit is about more than simply hunting for life, though that is the key motivator.

“It’s about thinking about life in a cosmic context. And about the origin and evolution of life,” Sullivan said.

“Even if you only care about Earth life, astrobiology is a viable — fundamental, I would say — interdisciplinary science that thrives independently of the existence of extraterrestrial life.”

From the Collection: Peruvian Textiles

Jennifer Stager: Color, Vision, and Variegation

May 10, 3:30 pm | Denny 259

, faculty member at John Hopkins University (Ph.D. Berkeley), specializes in the art and architecture of the ancient Mediterranean and its afterlives. Her areas of focus include questions of color, materiality, and vision in the ancient Mediterranean world, the afterlives of antiquity, and the intersections of gender, race, and class in the production and study of art and architecture. Reception to follow the lecture.

Free |

Music of Today: International Experimental Music Ensemble