All Stories

With the publication of “Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe” 20 years ago, the UW’s Peter Ward, professor of biology, and Donald Brownlee, professor of astronomy, explained why microbial life may be ubiquitous in the universe, but intelligent life may be rare indeed. They are now working on a sequel, tentatively titled “The Rare Earth Hypothesis: Assessing the Frequency of Complex Life in the Cosmos, in the Age of Exoplanet Discovery.”

This week, watch a UW alum on NBC’s Making It, attend a discussion hosted by the Henry Art Gallery, and more.

While some social scientists, journalists and activists have been raising concerns about how social media is affecting our democracy, mental health and relationships, we haven’t seen biologists and ecologists weighing in as much. That’s changed with a new paper published in the prestigious science journal PNAS earlier this month, titled “Stewardship of global collective behavior.” The UW’s Joe Bak-Coleman, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for an Informed Public, and Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, are interviewed.

Researchers warn that phony satellite imagery could become a common and dangerous mode of disinformation. Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.

Architect Kirsten Murray mentions her plans to visit the Burke Museum this summer.

Michelle Merriweather hopes to visit “Gary Simmons: The Engine Room” at the Henry Art Gallery this summer.

New updates to the Sephardic Studies Digital Collection, a "virtual bookshelf" with more than 140,000 pages of published Ladino works.

As each new generation inherits the world, vital knowledge is forgotten. Peter Kahn, professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences at the UW, is quoted.

“The Things Around You,” which will stream through the UW's Meany Center from June 25 - July 2, is featured in this article.