Department of Biology

The global trade in ivory is worth about $23 billion. While governments are starting to crack down on the trade, it might be too little, too late. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

An orphaned elephant named Nania may soon get to return to their family — if conservationists can find their family, that is. Scientists are searching for relatives using DNA extracted from dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is interviewed. [This is the fifth segment of "The Record"]

A proposal by the European Union would match U.S. and China bans on elephant poaching. But given recent record seizures, it may be too late for elephants. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

Seabirds are “sentinels” of ocean health. If marine ecosystems are suffering, the birds will be among the first to show it. Now a major study finds that seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are already struggling. And without extra precautions, those in the Southern Hemisphere might be next. Dee Boersma, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

P. Dee Boersma, professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is the co-author of a new study about seabird health.

Nania, a critically endangered forest elephant, became separated from her herd when she was only three months old, and ever since has been hand-reared by wildlife carers in her homeland, Burkina Faso. But now they are searching for her mother using DNA analysis of dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

UW paleontology researchers discuss the changes their field has undergone during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, discusses the end goal of COVID-19 management if herd immunity isn't achievable.

The UW's Jevin West, associate professor in the Information School, and Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, are studying how the publishing industry pushes misinformation, and how to make it better.

The Life Sciences Building, which houses the Department of Biology, has earned the COTE® Top Ten Award for sustainable design excellence.

Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, has found that two-thirds of pregnancies in Southern resident orca whales are lost due to nutritional stress through his new research.

"It’s no secret that the media eagerly reports potential technical breakthroughs with hyperventilating headlines ... [but] the media often fails to clearly indicate the preliminary nature of the findings they trumpet. Even worse, they seldom report when the studies they hyped previously fail to pan out," writes Executive Editor Leland Teschler. The UW's Jevin West, associate professor in the UW Information School, and Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, are quoted.

Daniel Promislow, professor of biology, explains the insights into longevity we can get from dogs.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, says that even if we never reach herd immunity, dealing with COVID-19 will become more manageable with time.

More than half of adults in the United States have been inoculated with at least one dose of a vaccine. But daily vaccination rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.