Study reveals how ancient fish colonized the deep sea

The deep sea contains more than 90% of the water in our oceans, but only about a third of all fish species. Scientists have long thought the explanation for this was intuitive — shallow ocean waters are warm and full of resources, making them a prime location for new species to evolve and thrive. But a new University of Washington study led by Elizabeth Miller reports that throughout Earth’s ancient history, there were several periods of time when many fish actually favored the cold, dark, barren waters of the deep sea.

Permanent daylight saving time would reduce deer-vehicle collisions, study shows

In much of the United States, there is a twice-yearly shift in timekeeping between standard time and daylight saving time, or DST, which delays both sunrise and sunset to make mornings darker and evenings brighter. Recently, scientists, policy experts, lawmakers and citizens have debated abandoning the twice-a-year switch and adopting either year-round standard time or DST. A team of researchers at the University of Washington — led by postdoctoral researcher Calum Cunningham and Laura Prugh, an associate professor of quantitative wildlife sciences — have found that one of those options would sharply reduce a hazard common to much of the country: deer-vehicle collisions.

Fish, Forests and Fungi

Mushrooms have a long-standing history as a culturally and nutritionally significant food source, yet we still have much to learn about our fungal friends. Enter the wondrous world of mushrooms: some toxic, some colorful; some cap-tipped, some mimicking a wave in the ocean. Regardless of how much research has been done on fungi, we have only scratched the surface, with only four percent of fungi species characterized.

Two College of the Environment faculty recognized by American Geophysical Union

University of Washington School of Oceanography Professor Ginger Armbrust and Department of Atmospheric Sciences Professor Dennis Hartmann will be honored at the 2022 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in December. Armbrust has been named a 2022 AGU Fellow in recognition of her outstanding contributions to ocean sciences and for embodying AGU’s values by fostering equity, integrity, diversity and open science; by mentoring; through public engagement; and in her communications.

Watch the 2022 Doug Walker Lecture, Climate Crisis: Finding Hope in Action and Community

Two people plant seedlings in the ground.

Watch the video of the 2022 Doug Walker lecture, featuring a live discussion with environmental advocate and educator Jamie Stroble ’10, and moderated by Maya Tolstoy, Maggie Walker Dean of the UW College of the Environment.