Model finds COVID-19 deaths among elderly may be due to genetic limit on cell division

This illustration represents the core theory in a new modeling study led by the University of Washington: The circles represent the immune system’s aging, in which its ability to make new immunity cells remains constant until a person (represented by the human figures) reaches middle-age or older and then falls off significantly. The central blue figure represents a virus or a challenge to the immune system.

Your immune system’s ability to combat COVID-19, like any infection, largely depends on its ability to replicate the immune cells effective at destroying the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease. These cloned immune cells cannot be infinitely created, and a key hypothesis of a new University of Washington study is that the body’s ability to create these cloned cells falls off significantly in old age.

Birdwatching in the wintertime

Olivia Sanderfoot birdwatches at the Center for Urban Horticulture

Where do birds go during the colder months? Do we see different species of birds here in Seattle during the winter versus during the summer? Where are the best spots to catch a glimpse of birds? Luckily for bird enthusiasts, winter in the Pacific Northwest is just as great for bird watching as summer, but with some key differences. Olivia Sanderfoot, who recently defended her Ph.D.

Spring blooms to watch for in the Seattle area

Though Seattle’s weather can be fickle in the spring, with fleeting hints of warmth between long spells of cold and rain, the Puget Sound region is home to stunning buds and blossoms that remind locals summer is just around the corner. “Spring is my favorite time of the year for observing plants, because I love the anticipation and getting to watch things change week to week,” said Ray Larson, curator of Living Collections at the UW Botanic Gardens.

Moon jellies appear to be gobbling up zooplankton in Puget Sound

This aerial view shows the RV Rachel Carson inside a moon jelly aggregation on August 25, 2021, in Quartermaster Harbor. The concentration of tiny marine life known as copepods inside the moon jelly aggregation was as low as a quarter of the levels in other parts of the bay.

Swarms of jellies have been seen more frequently in Puget Sound over the past several decades, and some biologists speculate these fast-growing jellyfish will do especially well in the warmer oceans of the future. Moon jellies, or Aurelia labiata, are unique among the various jellyfish species inhabiting Puget Sound in that they form vast blooms. When populations spike, they can take over a single bay — creating a dramatic sight.

Farms following soil-friendly practices grow healthier food, study suggests

A person holds soil from a regenerative farm (blacker soil on the left) for comparison with soil from neighboring, conventional farm (right).

Everyone knows eating fruits and vegetables is good for your health. But these days, stores offer a dizzying array of options: organic, conventional, CSAs, local agriculture. Which ones are best for your health? A new study, published in January in the journal PeerJ, looks at how regenerative farming practices — soil-building techniques that minimize plowing, use cover crops, and plant diverse crops — affect the nutritional content of the food.