Just as plants and animals on land are keenly attuned to the hours of sunlight in the day, life in the oceans follows the rhythms of the day, the seasons and even the moon. A University of Washington study finds the biological light switches that make this possible. Single-celled organisms in the open ocean use a diverse array of genetic tools to detect light, even in tiny amounts, and respond, according to a study published the week of Feb.
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In a new history of forestry science education and research at the University of Washington, Robert Edmonds covers the field from its early logging days to the preservation of old-growth forests and the current era of climate change. In 1973, past UW president Henry Schmitz published a history titled “The Long Road Traveled,” tracing the then College of Forestry from 1907 to the mid-1960s.
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The development of small hydropower dams is widespread throughout Brazil and elsewhere in the world, vastly overshadowing large hydropower projects. The proliferation of these smaller dams is a response to growing energy and security needs. Their expansion, however, threatens many of the remaining free-flowing rivers and biodiverse tropical regions of the world — interrupting the migrations of freshwater fishes, on which millions of peoples’ livelihoods depend.
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Robert Winglee, professor of Earth & Space Sciences, passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 24, 2020, after suffering a heart attack at the age of 62. His nearly 30-year UW career spanned research in space plasma physics, magnetospheric physics, advanced propulsion and engineering, as well as educational outreach to underserved and underrepresented communities across the country. Professor Winglee completed his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Sydney in Australia, earning his Doctorate in Physics in 1985.
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Fish populations tend to do better in places where rigorous fisheries management practices are used, and the more measures employed, the better for fish populations and food production, according to a new paper published Jan. 11 in Nature Sustainability. The study, led by Michael Melnychuk of the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, draws upon the expertise of more than two dozen researchers from 17 regions around the world.
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