Department of Biology

Mammals appear to have been social creatures much earlier than previously thought, according to U.S. paleontologists. The UW’s Luke Weaver, a graduate student in biology, and Gregory Wilson Mantilla, a professor of biology, are quoted.

A species of tiny mammals that lived among the dinosaurs might have led highly gregarious lives. Luke Weaver, a graduate student in biology at the UW, is quoted.

A new study led by paleontologists at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture indicates that the earliest evidence of mammal social behavior goes back to the Age of Dinosaurs. The evidence lies in the fossil record of a new genus of multituberculate — a small, rodent-like mammal that lived during the Late Cretaceous of the dinosaur era — called Filikomys primaevus, which translates to “youthful, friendly mouse.”

Many mammals work together in packs to stay alive. Since reptiles don’t do this, it seems likely the first mammals weren’t social creatures, raising the question of when this important trait arose. New evidence suggests it dates back to at least the late Cretaceous period. The UW’s Luke Weaver, a graduate student in biology, and Gregory Wilson Mantilla, a professor of biology, are quoted.

A dog named Eba almost died as an abandoned puppy. Now she helps conservation biologists study Southern Resident killer whales. Deborah Giles, research scientist at the UW Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted, and Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the center, is mentioned.

UW Press looks back on a century of publishing, featuring works by Quintard Taylor and Bill Holms. George Behlmer’s 'Risky Shores’ honored.

There is widespread speculation about the true state of President Trump’s health – and whether the drugs he is taking suggest a more serious case than the president and his doctors have described. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

“General chemistry has a terrible reputation on most college campuses. It’s seen as a killer—a place where dreams of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) go to die. Now the data have spoken, and their message is clear: The bad rep is justified. And the numbers are especially bleak for students who are underrepresented in STEM,” writes Scott Freeman, teaching professor emeritus in biology at the UW.

Hana Ra, UW Biology ’20 alumna, discusses her involvement with the OceanEYEs Citizen Science Project.

A National Science Foundation survey found that in 2016, scholars who identified as Black or African American were awarded just 6% of all doctorates in life sciences, and less than 3% of doctorates in physical and Earth sciences. Overt harassment and subtle intimidation during fieldwork compound the discrimination that Black scientists and those from other underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds already feel in academic settings. Christopher Schell, assistant professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Tacoma, and Scott Freeman, principal lecturer emeritus in biology at the UW, are quoted.

Free-jazz pioneer Gary Peacock (BS, Biology, 1976), has passed away.

The CDC this week adjusted its guidance for coronavirus exposure to say people without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test.” Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, is quoted.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, discusses America's "pandemic spiral."

She's spent little time in Latin America and her Spanish, by her own account, is just “mas o menos.” She’d never coaxed a deal out of proud, broke governments. Yet in a single week, Jennifer O’Neil (BS, Mathematical Biology, '02), helped seal the debt restructuring of Argentina and Ecuador, propelling her into prominence at BlackRock Inc. and in the clubby, male-dominated world of sovereign bond negotiations.

Scott Freeman, principle lecture emeritus, and Elli Theobald, assistant teaching professor of biology, explain why lecturing actively harms underrepresented minority and low-income students.