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Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, talks about the significance of the selection of General Lloyd Austin as U.S. Defense Secretary.

It’s cold, dark and wet. The only problem? There’s also still a pandemic. So while last year you may have relied on hygge to get you through, may we suggest this year that you turn your focus from Denmark to Norway? It’s time to embrace friluftsliv. Andy Meyer, a lecturer of Scandinavian studies at the UW, is interviewed. [This is part of the Dec. 9 episode of "The Record."]

Assistant Professor of art history Juliet Sperling analyzes 18 pieces of art that tell the tale of American history.

NASA reported last week that the Stingray Nebula, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth and located near the southern constellation Ara, has dimmed remarkably fast, fading over just 20 years. Bruce Balick, professor emeritus of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

The Taiwan Studies Program of the Jackson School of International Studies has received a generous sum from the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a strange year. So strange, in fact, that the idea of an obstacle-dodging, autonomous cyborg drone that uses a real live moth antenna to track down smells doesn’t sound too much like weird science fiction. That’s probably a good thing, too, because it’s something that researchers from the University of Washington have actually built. And they’ve called it "smellicopter," because … why the heck not? The UW's Melanie Anderson, a doctoral student of mechanical engineering, and Thomas Daniel, professor of biology, are quoted.

Christie Tirado (BA Interdisciplinary Visual Arts 2013) is the subject of a 12/8/20 article on Crosscut.

Amid the dispiriting surge of coronavirus cases around the United States, seven states in the Midwest appear to have a reason to be hopeful: They have all seen a sustained decrease in case numbers over the past two weeks. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted. [This is part of updates for Dec. 5.]

Some couples have found a way not only to survive but get closer despite all the stresses of this year’s many challenges. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

The Stingray Nebula, a shroud of gas around an aging star, was already unusual: It is by far the youngest such object in space. But scientists say that it is now getting dimmer as rapidly as it appeared. Its brightness has dropped by a factor of nearly 1,000 over 20 years, and the bright tendrils that once wrapped around its edges are gone. Bruce Balick, professor emeritus of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.