Sarah DeWeerdt

X-linked Gene Increases Autism Risk in Boys

2010-09-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

SFARI.org, September 16, 2010.

A newly characterized gene on the X chromosome may be disrupted in up to one percent of people with autism, researchers reported in Science Translational Medicine.

Read the full text here.

Can Cities Feed Us?

2010-09-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Conservation, July-September 2010, pages 16-21.

For every acre of land cultivated in a high-rise urban farm, 10 to 20 acres of current cropland could go wild.

Read the full text here.

Findings and The Hub, September 2010

2010-09-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Columns, September 2010, pages 17, 22-23.

Machine Reads Newborn Minds
Here’s an item that won’t surprise parents: it takes a 1-ton apparatus to figure out what’s going on in a young child’s mind.

Blast Waves and Brain Damage
Understanding hidden injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

The Orbit of Influence
Weird neighbors in distant galaxies.

UW & the Big Spill
Estimating the damage from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Dramatic Regression Leads to Severe Autism, Study Finds

2010-08-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

SFARI.org, August 3, 2010.

Toddlers who abruptly lose language, social or other developmental skills are more likely to have severe autism a few years later compared with children who have consistent delays from an early age. That's the conclusion of the largest study thus far of autism onset patterns, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Read the full text here.

Labor & Delivery

2010-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

ParentHandbook.com, July 2010.

What happens during labor and delivery? While every woman's experience is different, this guide provides an overview of the typical signs and stages of labor.

Read the full text here.

Dancing With an Escape Artist

2010-07-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Nature, July 15, 2010, Vol. 466, pages S6–S7

A portrait of the intricate relationship between HIV and the host immune system, in which each influences the other's next moves.

Read the full text here.

Preeclampsia: Symptoms and Treatment

2010-07-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

ParentHandbook.com, July 2010.

Preeclampsia occurs in approximately five percent of all pregnancies. Find out about the symptoms of this dangerous condition and how doctors treat it.

Read the full text here.

Folic Acid and Pregnancy

2010-06-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

ParentHandbook.com, June 2010.

Folic acid, before and during pregnancy, is important for healthy fetal development. But how much do you need? And how can you get enough?

Read the full text here.

Autism Marked by Copy Number Changes in Coding Regions

2010-06-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

SFARI.org, June 11, 2010.

People with autism harbor more copy number variants (CNVs) — deletions or duplications of large chunks of DNA — compared with controls, but only in the protein-coding regions of the genome.

Read the full text here.

Birth of a New Field

2010-06-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Columns, June 2010, pages 20-21.

Despite her intense personal connection to the questions she's investigating, pharmacy professor Mary Hebert is quick to shift the focus elsewhere: "I just wanted other people to have healthy pregnancies."

Read the full text here.

Findings, June 2010

2010-06-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Columns, June 2010, pages 22-23.

What Are You Thinking?
A tool for measuring unconscious attitudes and beliefs.

Building Green Roads
UW researchers develop a system to rate the sustainability of road construction and maintenance.

Dinosaurs Grow Older
A fossil find in southern Tanzania pushes back the Age of the Dinosaurs.

Scaffolding, Stem Cells Could Save Sight

2010-05-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Think (Case Western Reserve University), Spring-Summer 2010, page 20.

Researchers trying to restore vision damaged by disease have found promise in a tiny implant that sows the seeds of new cells.

Read the full text here.

Researchers Test Gene Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease

2010-05-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Think (Case Western Reserve University), Spring-Summer 2010, page 19.

A group of specialists around the country are teaming up on what Alan Lerner, MD, calls, "a radically different approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease."

Read the full text here.

Vaccines: What Every Parent Should Know

2010-03-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

ParentHandbook.com, March 2010.

The whats, whens and whys of your child’s vaccination schedule, from birth to kindergarten.

Read the full text here.

Seeing Red

2010-03-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Columns, March 2010, pages 20-21.

Last fall, Jay and Maureen Neitz, who joined the UW School of Medicine faculty in 2008, reported in the journal Nature that they had cured color-blindness in two squirrel monkeys using gene therapy.

Read the full text here.

Findings, March 2010

2010-03-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Columns, March 2010, pages 22-23.

MRSA Digging in at Beaches
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are gaining foothold in the natural environment.

Micro Microscope
The world's smallest microscope helps diagnose cancer.

Breast Cancer Detection Test
Ultrasound may enable some women to avoid unnecessary biopsies.

Locating Lightning
Creating a real-time map of lightning around the globe.

Getting the Dirt on Climate Change
And helping a forest grow on Vashon Island.

Vaccines and Autism

2010-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

ParentHandbook.com, February 2010.

New developments are changing how parents and doctors think about a decade-old controversy--an article written in the wake of The Lancet's retraction of the paper that started it all.

Read the full text here.

A Welcome Disappearing Act

2009-12-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

Columns, December 2009, pages 20-21.

The Vanish program, developed by a team of computer scientists at UW, uses the Mission: Impossible approach to security on the Internet: self-destructing data.

Read the full text here.

Findings, December 2009

2009-12-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

Columns, December 2009, page 22-23.

A See Change in Contact Lenses
Electrical engineering professor Babak Parviz is developing bionic contact lenses.

Record Grant Connects Oceans to Internet
UW's largest-ever federal award will enable ocean scientists to access deep-sea study sites anytime, anywhere.

Green Energy Branches Out
Harnessing the power of trees.

Findings, September 2009

2009-09-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Columns, September 2009, pages 22-23.

The Genes That Cause Autism
UW scientists contributed to two recent studies that are beginning to unlock the genetic underpinnings of autism and related disorders.

Leading the Response Against H1N1
UW researchers are working to stop the new "swine flu" virus.

Tablets of Mystery
Using computers to help decode an ancient Indus Valley script.

Local Food: The Economics

2009-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

WorldWatch, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/August 2009.

In the second article in my two-part series on local food, I take a closer look at the argument that local food benefits local economies.

Read an excerpt here.

Orca's Best Friend

2009-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Columns, June 2009.

Samuel Wasser, head of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington, enlists the help of extremely playful dogs to save endangered species.

Read the full text here.

Findings, June 2009

2009-06-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Columns.

Global Warming, Local Consequences
A report on a recent study of how climate change may affect the Pacific Northwest, and a roundup of other research on climate change at the University of Washington.

One Fish, Two Fish, Weird Fish, New Fish
A trippy finned creature discovered off the waters of Indonesia.

Hitting the Sweet Spot
Understanding why kids clamor for sugar.

Is Local Food Better?

2009-05-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

World Watch, Vol. 22, No. 3, May/June 2009. (Cover article.)

Yes, but not in the way most people think. This article digs into the complexities of life-cycle analysis in an effort to move the conversation beyond food miles to a broader understanding of the carbon footprint of what we eat.

Read the full text here.

Findings, March 2009

2009-03-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

Columns, the University of Washington alumni magazine, has a four-page section called "Findings" that reports on the diversity of scientific research going on at UW. Since the March 2009 issue I have been writing this section. It consists of a short profile of a UW researcher (for March, that's the article on Richard Ladner linked in the post below), and a roundup of four or so short news articles on various recent research results. Here are the news articles from March:

Too Many Missed Shots
Getting a handle on childhood immunization rates

Knowing the Enemy
Towards better, more individualized therapy for brain tumors

The Healing Arts
An unexpected new approach to improving medical students' diagnostic skills

Warblers Do It, Sparrows Do It...
How birds learn to sing

Lifelines and Vital Signs

2009-03-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Columns, March 2009.

Richard Ladner is helping the blind and deaf feel at home in a wired world.

Read the full text here.

Brilliance Unleashed

2008-12-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

Columns, December 2008.

A rising star in the field of nanophotonics arrives at the University of Washington to attempt to build ever-tinier computer circuits.

Read the full text here.

Pollination Panic

2008-11-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

World Watch, November/December 2008.

Honeybees are disappearing. Can native pollinators rebound to fill in the gap?

Read an excerpt here.

War and the Environment

2008-01-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

World Watch, Vol. 21, No. 1, January/February 2008. (Cover article.)

How human conflict shapes the landscape, from the jungles of Vietnam to the marshes of Iraq.

Read the full text here.

Climate Change, Coming Home

2007-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

World Watch, Vol. 20, No. 3, July/August 2007. (Cover article.)

Global warming's effects on populations.

Read the full text here.

Bye, Bye, Birdie

2006-07-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

World Watch, July/August 2006.

How many of the world's species are humans driving out of existence? And how do we know? A detailed look at the extinction crisis.

Read the full text here.

Discovery Island

2005-12-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

Columns, December 2005. Vol. 25, No. 4, pages 36-39.

Environmental science took a decisive turn on an obscure island off the northwest corner of Washington. The way we look at—and try to save—our world has never been the same.

Read the full text here.

Fueling Restoration

2005-04-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Conservation Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 2, April-June 2005.

A new biomethanol production system links ecological restoration to the hydrogen economy.

Read the full text here.

Food Writing: Seattle Weekly

2005-03-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Between March 2005 and June 2006 I wrote occasional restaurant reviews for the Seattle Weekly, a local alternative paper. Here are links to some of those articles:

Market to Market: Seafood Fest champs bring a taste of Puerto Rico to Ballard
March 2, 2005
Read the full text here.

Deli Delights: A one-man neighborhood improvement project on Greenwood
May 4, 2005
Read the full text here.

Breakfast Nook: Fremont Jai Thai
May 18, 2005
Read the full text here.

Nervous Nellie's Espresso Company
October 11, 2005
Read the full text here.

Will Walk for Food: How many trips around Green Lake does it take to burn off a fast-food binge?
November 9, 2005
Read the full text here.

BalMar and Less: Ballard's newest lounge offers great, locally sourced plates, but you'll have to pay the price
May 10, 2006
Read the full text here.

A complete list of my articles for the Seattle Weekly can be found here.

Helping, Half a World Away

2004-09-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Earth Island Journal, Vol. 19 No. 3, Autumn 2004, pages 12-13 of “Disappearing Act: A special section on endangered species.”

How the International Snow Leopard Trust, a conservation organization based in Seattle, Washington, is helping save an endangered species of cat that lives in the remote mountains of Central Asia.

Dark Secret of the Lake

2004-02-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

New Scientist, Vol. 181 No. 2436, 28 February 2004, pages 40-43.

Lake Victoria’s cichlid fish have suffered a terrible decline in the past 20 years, but the prime culprit is not what scientists initially suspected.

Read an excerpt here.

Reflections on the Pond

2004-01-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Conservation in Practice, Vol. 5 No. 1, Winter 2004, pages 20-27.

The pond is the universal icon for wetlands. But to Joy Zedler, ponds are the ecological equivalent of fast-food chains, an emblem of the homogenization of the contemporary landscape.

Read the full text here.

Lost and Found

2003-06-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

Conservation in Practice, Vol. 4 No. 3, Summer 2003, pages 32-38.

In Lake Victoria, researchers have rediscovered an “extinct” cichlid. Capitalizing on this serendipitous conservation opportunity, they have found a way to reconcile species recovery and fisheries.

Read the full text here.

Your Health History

2003-04-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

Real Simple, April 2003, pages 151-156.

A simple system for keeping track of vital health information.

The World’s Toughest Bacterium

2002-07-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, July 5, 2002.

Deinococcus radiodurans may be a tool for cleaning up toxic waste and more.

Read the full text here.

Old Science, New Science

2002-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Conservation in Practice, Vol. 3, No. 3, Summer 2002, pages 20-27.

Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into contemporary management.

(With Chuck Striplen.)

Read the full text here.

Building a Virtual Watercooler

2002-02-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

BioScience, Vol. 52, No. 2, February 2002, page 128.

A look at the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units program.

Read an excerpt here.

The First Sequenced Extremophile

2002-02-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Genome News Network, February 1, 2002.

What scientists have learned from the M. jannaschii genome.

Read the full text here.

What Really is an Evolutionarily Significant Unit?

2002-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Conservation Biology in Practice, Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter 2002, pages 10-17. (Cover article.)

The debate over integrating genetics and ecology in conservation biology.

Read the full text here.

Salmon Paternity Tested

2001-12-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

Wildlife Conservation, December 2001, page 22.

Embargoing Science

2001-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

BioScience, Vol. 51, No. 8, August 2001, page 612.

U.S. policy toward Cuba and its effect on scientific collaboration.

Read an excerpt here.

Resurrection

2001-06-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

New Scientist, Vol. 170 No. 2293, 2 June 2001, pages 38-41.

Even in the built-up San Francisco Bay Area, vestiges of the pristine past linger on ready to spring back to life. But first, you have to find them.

Read an excerpt here.

Tapping the Ivory Tower

2001-06-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Conservation Biology in Practice, Vol. 2, No. 3, Summer 2001, pages 28-32.

How academic-agency partnerships can advance conservation.

(With P. Dee Boersma.)

Read the full text here.

Streams of Data

2001-05-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, May 28, 2001.

Scientists are using DNA sequencers in efforts to conserve species of Pacific salmon.

Read the full text here.

Microarrays Reveal Patterns of Y Chromosome Variation

2001-04-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, April 9, 2001.

The Y chromosome helps illuminate the history of Finno-Ugric migration.

Read the full text here.

Gene Expression in Regenerating Sea Stars

2001-03-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Genome News Network, March 26, 2001.

Sea stars can re-grow lost arms--and studying how they do this may help us better understand wound healing in humans.

Read the full text here.

Coordinating and Mobilizing an International Monitoring Program

2001-01-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Conservation Biology in Practice, Winter 2001.

The story of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force.

Read the full text here.

The Genetics of Breathing Free

2000-10-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, October 20, 2000.

News article reporting on research about single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the effectiveness of asthma medication.

Read the full text here.

What's a Genome?

2000-06-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, 2000.

A short book providing an introduction to characters such as genomes, genes, and DNA--and the relationships among them.

Read the whole shebang starting here.

Gene Modifies Effect of Estrogen on Cognitive Decline

2000-05-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

Genome News Network, May 26, 2000.

A news article reporting on a study that brings together two strands of research about prevention of Alzheimer's disease: estrogen and a gene called ApoE.

Read the full text here.

Salmon and Suburbs Struggle Over a Washington River

1999-08-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

High Country News, August 30, 1999.

Part of a special issue on the Endangered Species Act and Habitat Conservation Plans, my first freelance feature article tackled the HCP for the Cedar River, source of Seattle's drinking water.

Read the full text here.