Natural Sciences Division

"When Jeanne Calment of France died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days, she set a record for oldest human. That record still stands. As statisticians who study demography, we expect that record will be broken by 2100," write the UW's Michael Pearce, a doctoral student in statistics, and Adrian Raftery, professor of statistics and of sociology.

Physics professor Gerald Seidler has been awarded an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to create waste disposal caskets for nuclear fuel byproducts.

The next six months of the coronavirus pandemic may look dispiriting. But that doesn’t mean we’re doomed. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

For thousands of years, the gray whales of the eastern Pacific have undertaken one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal — starting in the cold waters of the Arctic, then down past the densely populated coasts and beaches of California before finally finding refuge in the warm, shallow estuaries of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, only to turn around and head back north a few weeks later. Starting in December 2018, this magnificent migration took a fatal turn. Sue Moore, affiliate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

"As a marine biologist who has studied the effects of extreme weather events for decades, I expected it would be bad. The 'heat dome' brought record high air temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, and for the plants and animals living along our extensive coastlines the late June timing could not have been worse," writes Emily Carrington, professor of biology at the UW.

Experts say so-called breakthrough cases remain rare, and deaths among vaccinated people are "effectively zero." Adrian Raftery, professor of statistics and of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

James Davenport, a research assistant professor of astronomy, explains his new research on superflares.

Recent UW graduate Shanelle Wikramanayake has led a study with profound impacts for the conservation of the rough-nosed horned lizard.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, talks about the ways that social media is designed to surround people with their personal version of what’s true, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics.

New hires will join colleagues in the departments of Applied Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Statistics. 

The UW and Washington State University are adding artificial intelligence research institutes thanks to $40 million in funding from the National Science Foundation. UW’s research lab, the AI Institute for Dynamic Systems, will focus on fundamental AI and machine learning theory. Steve Brunton, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the UW and associate director of the institute, is referenced. The UW's J. Nathan Kutz, professor of applied mathematics; Krithika Manohar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Maryam Fazel, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Daniela Witten, professor of biostatistics; and David Beck, research associate professor of chemical engineering, are mentioned.

The US National Science Foundation has announced a new artificial-intelligence research institute led by the University of Washington. It will be directed by J. Nathan Kutz, a UW professor of applied mathematics.

Briana Abrahms, an assistant professor of biology, explains the significance of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts.

The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced 11 new artificial-intelligence research institutes, including one led by the University of Washington. These institutes are part of a $220 million investment spanning seven research areas in AI. Each institute will receive about $20 million over five years.

Growing evidence suggests heat waves, droughts and other extreme events can boost lethal clashes between people and wildlife. Briana Abrahms, assistant professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.