Futurity.org » University of Washington

‘Gaydar’ guesses more right than wrong

Molly McElroy-UW — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:54:03 +0000

U. WASHINGTON / CORNELL (US) — After seeing faces for less than a blink of an eye, college students have accuracy greater than mere chance in judging others’ sexual orientation.

Their “gaydar” persisted even when they saw the photos upside-down, and gay versus straight judgments were more accurate for women’s faces than for men’s.

Time of year matters for vitamin D risk

Leila Gray-UW — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:32:30 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — When considering a patient’s blood vitamin D levels, it may be best to consider a lower threshold for concern, as well as the time of year.

The threshold amount for older patients’ vitamin D levels has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets.

But a new study at the University of Washington supports recent recommendations for a lower threshold level, considerably lower than the recommendations of other expert panels.

Mammals may not get to cool climates in time

Sandra Hines-UW — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:44:19 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — Nine percent of the Western Hemisphere’s mammals—and up to 40 percent in some regions—may not be able to outpace climate change.

A new study is the first to consider whether mammals will actually be able to move to those new areas suitable for mammals before they are overrun by climate change.

Carrie Schloss, University of Washington research analyst in environmental and forest sciences, is lead author of the paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mail mix-up may change eye disease treatment

Steve Chaplin-Indiana — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:27:39 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Sloppy shipping of a donated human retina has inadvertently helped researchers uncover a previously undetected mechanism causing a type of macular degeneration.

The discovery has led researchers to urge review of how millions of dollars are spent investigating the cause of a type of age-related macular degeneration called choroidal neovascularization.

Working at Indiana University’s Biocomplexity Institute, postdoctoral researcher Abbas Shirinifard had hit a brick wall trying to develop detailed computer simulations of the behaviors and interactions of the cells and membranes composing the rear of the retina and its supporting vasculature.

Low-cost test may screen for autism

Bob Roseth-UW — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:55:43 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — It may be possible to predict a child’s risk of developing autism by examining metabolic byproducts found in urine.

Autism is difficult to diagnose because of a lack of specific biological markers and a variability of symptoms, ranging from mild in some individuals to severely disabling in others.

Wind-churned plastics litter deep ocean

Bob Roseth-UW — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:48:53 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — By skimming only the surface, decades of research into how much plastic litters the ocean may vastly underestimate the true amount of debris in some cases, new findings show.

While working on a research sailboat gliding over glassy seas in the Pacific Ocean, oceanographer Giora Proskurowski, a researcher at the University of Washington, noticed something new: The water was littered with confetti-size pieces of plastic debris, until the moment the wind picked up and most of the particles disappeared.

Lifespans of US women stall versus men

William Heisel-U. Washington — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:18:26 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — The lifespans of women in the US are improving at a much slower pace than men’s, according to new county-by-county estimates of life expectancy.

The data also show that life expectancy for black Americans—both men and women—is improving at a faster rate than for white Americans, especially in large urban areas in New York and California.

Do older dads pass on autism risk?

Leila Gray-UW — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:06:37 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — A new study shows that mutations that can cause autism are more often from the affected child’s father (at a four-to-one ratio), and correlate with his age.

The University of Washington researchers’ results are reported in the journal Nature.

These findings, they say, support other studies that show older fathers have a slightly increased risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder.

Registry may overstate sex offender counts

Molly McElroy-UW — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:20:16 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — Sex offender registries overestimate the number of offenders actually living in the community by as much as 60 percent, according to a new study.

“Websites that list sex offenders may make it seem that there are a lot of them living among us. It makes it hard for the public to discern risk,” says Alissa Ackerman, assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Improving the accuracy of sex-offender registries also means “better use of law-enforcement resources to watch the people who actually need to be watched,” she says.

Raindrop fossils reveal ancient atmosphere

Vince Stricherz-UW — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:57:11 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — A study of fossilized raindrop impressions suggests that greenhouse gases most likely warmed the Earth’s atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago.

In ancient Earth history, the sun burned as much as 30 percent dimmer than it does now. Theoretically that should have encased the planet in ice, but there is geologic evidence for rivers and ocean sediments between 2 billion and 4 billion years ago.