Sep 15, 2020

Armored fish: the knights of the deep sea

Lateral scan of the north spearnose poacher

For centuries, armor has protected warriors in combat, providing a defensive barrier and preventing damage to whatever is underneath its protective shell. It has seen many iterations as the years go on, always improving and allowing for more agility while decreasing in weight with the advancement of technologies allowing for better materials. That is exactly how armor on fish has changed over time, evolving from the clunky thick head shields seen on the earliest fishes to the scales we now see on modern fish.

Apr 28, 2020

College of the Environment

Megan Dethier named director of Friday Harbor Laboratories

The UW College of the Environment is pleased to announce that Megan Dethier has agreed to serve as director of the Friday Harbor Laboratories, effective May 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022. Dethier has been serving as the Interim Director of Friday Harbor Laboratories. Dethier is a research professor in the Biology Department at the University of Washington and works full-time at the College’s Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island.

Apr 7, 2020

College of the Environment

College researchers, faculty and staff working together for UW Medicine

In times of extreme duress, a shining beacon of hope can come from communities working together to support one another. The University of Washington Medical Center, in preparation for an influx of patients in the coming weeks, recently put out a call for medical supplies. Researchers from around the College of the Environment answered that call, realizing that much of what the Medical Center needed were common items found in research labs, and quickly mobilized to collect donations and drop them off at UW Surplus.

Oct 30, 2019

Creepy, slimy and flat-out gross: marine edition

To commemorate the season of all things spooky, gross and disturbing, we’ve compiled a list of some of the creepiest creatures to be found in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. To kick things off, we dip our toe into the salty waters of the Salish sea, where UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL) are situated. These labs make the ideal setting to study the marine world, and provided us with no shortage of horrors to include in this list.

Oct 16, 2019

Marine Science

Piranha fish swap old teeth for new simultaneously

Piranha fish have a powerful bite. Their teeth help them shred through the flesh of their prey or even scrape plants off rocks to supplement their diet. Years ago, scientists discovered that piranhas lose all of the teeth on one side of their mouth at once and regrow them, presumably to replace dulled teeth with brand new sharp spears for gnawing on prey.