College of Arts and Sciences

  • Africa’s grassy habitats emerged 10+ million years earlier than previously thought

    A pair of studies published April 14 in the journal Science paint a new picture about apes, ancient Africa and the origins of humans. Many scientists had once hypothesized that the first apes to evolve in Africa more than 20 million years ago ate primarily fruit and lived within the thick, closed canopy of a nearly continent-wide forest ecosystem. Instead, the new research indicates that early apes ate a leafy diet in a more arid ecosystem of varyingly open woodlands with abundant grasses.

    04/13/2023 | UW News
  • How ChatGPT and similar AI will disrupt education

    A lot of people have been using ChatGPT out of curiosity or for entertainment. But students can also use it to cheat. ChatGPT marks the beginning of a new wave of AI, a wave that's poised to disrupt education. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

    04/12/2023 | Science News
  • Opinion: The republican strategists who have carefully planned all of this

    "Republican leaders are now adopting increasingly autocratic measures, using the police powers of government to impose moralized regulations, turning private citizens into enforcement officers and expelling defiant elected Democrats just as county Republican parties, particularly in Western states, are electing militia members, Christian nationalists and QAnon believers to key posts," writes New York Times columnist Thomas B. Edsall. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

    04/12/2023 | The New York Times
  • Overlooked no more: Alice Ball, chemist who created a treatment for leprosy

    After Alice Ball died -- and just a year after her discovery of a treatment for leprosy -- another scientist took credit for her work. It would be more than half a century until her story resurfaced. Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, is quoted.

    04/10/2023 | The New York Times
  • Tennessee's expulsions of two legislators highlight that it's the least democratic state

    One of two Black Democratic legislators expelled by the Republican-controlled Tennessee House said, "what the nation is seeing is that we don't have a democracy in Tennessee." Chillingly, data offers some support for that contention. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is mentioned.

    04/10/2023 | Vox
  • Beyond Trump — UW political scientists on the legacy of the indictment on the U.S. presidency

    The indictment of former President Trump isn't just about an individual but about the office of the presidency, and what the country is willing to accept from its leaders, say University of Washington political scientists James Long and Victor Menaldo,

    04/10/2023 | UW News
  • ArtSci Roundup: Japan's Climate Change Policy, Yoko Ono and the Art of the Breakdown, Guest Artist Concert and more

    This week, learn more about Japan's response to climate change, attend the talk on Yoko Ono and the Art of the Breakdown, enjoy music performances at Meany Hall and more.

    04/07/2023 | UW News
  • Seattle's Black dance history gets the spotlight in a new show

    Drawing upon archival photos and old films, Black Collectivity presents an original performance rooted in little-known legacies. Jasmine Mahmoud, assistant professor of theatre history and performance studies at the UW, is quoted.

    04/05/2023 | Crosscut
  • Trump's indictment is a US first, but other countries have prosecuted leaders

    Former President Donald Trump may be the first U.S. president to face criminal charges, but he's hardly alone on the global stage. Plenty of other democracies have prosecuted their current or former leaders. James D. Long, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

    04/04/2023 | NPR
  • Analysis: How the indictment of Donald Trump is a 'strange and different' event for America, according to political scientists

    The indictment of a former president of the U.S., Donald Trump, is history happening in real time. The Conversation asked the UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo to help readers understand the meaning of this moment in the U.S.

    04/04/2023 | The Conversation
  • Do we have an AI hype problem?

    Thousands of experts are sounding alarms about a potential dark future created by artificial intelligence. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, however, says we should be more concerned about the harm the technology is already causing.

    04/03/2023 | Marketplace
  • ArtSci Roundup: Faculty Concerts, Women's Liberation Movement Book Talk, Dover Quartet and more

    This week, head to Meany Hall for the Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet performance, learn about Seattle’s radical women’s liberation movement of the 60s and 70s from Barbara Winslow, celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and more.

    03/31/2023 | UW News
  • Seattle has a dearth of monuments to women

    The City of Seattle's civic art collection, which includes more than 400 permanent installations, contains only one outdoor monument honoring a female historical figure. Sasha Su-Ling Welland, chair and professor of gender, women & sexuality studies at the UW, is quoted.

    03/31/2023 | Axios Seattle
  • The AI moratorium open letter has a longtermist problem

    An open letter signed on Wednesday by over 1,100 notable public figures, including Elon Musk and Apple co-creator Steve Wozniak, implores researchers to institute a six-month moratorium on developing artificial intelligence systems more powerful than GPT-4. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

    03/30/2023 | Popular Science
  • Opinion: Invest in education, research, tech to build ‘Quantum Valley’ in WA

    Dianne Harris, history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Nancy Allbritton, bioengineering and dean of the College of Engineering write that we need governments, universities and private companies to come together now to grow the number of quantum-literate professionals.

    03/27/2023 | The Seattle Times