Environment

  • Cheetahs become more nocturnal in extreme heat, study finds

    Hunting later at night may force the big cats to surrender their prey to larger carnivores, such as lions and leopards. Kasim Rafiq, a UW postdoctoral researcher in biology, is quoted.
    11/12/2023 | Smithsonian Magazine
  • Why cheetahs will be especially vulnerable to climate change, according to new research

    Even the fastest animal in the world can't outrun the effects of climate change, according to experts. Cheetah populations are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures because hotter days are forcing them to behave more nocturnally, putting them in greater competition with other predators such as lions and African wild dogs, according to a study published in the journal Biological Sciences on Wednesday. Kasim Rafiq, postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    11/09/2023 | ABC News
  • Cheetahs become more nocturnal on hot days — climate change may trigger fights among predators

    Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds. The UW's Briana Abrahms, assistant professor of biology, and Kasim Rafiq, postdoctoral scholar of biology, are quoted.
    11/08/2023 | Associated Press
  • On an island in Southeast Asia, early humans coped with climate change by tailoring their technology

    Over the course of some 44,000 years, humans occupying the island of Timor-Leste, just north of Australia, changed their methods of making stone tools in lockstep with climate change, according to a recent study in Quaternary Science Reviews. Ben Marwick, professor of anthropology at the UW, is quoted.
    11/06/2023 | CNBC
  • Evolutionary secrets: How bat teeth adapted to their diverse diets

    A recent study reveals the fascinating evolutionary journey of bat teeth and jaws. With over 200 species mostly found in the American tropics, noctilionoid bats possess a wide variety of jaw structures that have adapted to different diets. Sharlene Santana, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    10/30/2023 | Earth.com
  • The scientists watching their work disappear from climate change

    Some are stubborn optimists. Others struggle with despair. Their faces show the weight they carry as they witness the impact of climate change. Kristin Laidre, associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the UW and principal scientist at the Applied Physics Laboratory, and P. Dee Boersma, professor of biology at the UW, are featured.
    10/30/2023 | The New York Times
  • From vampires to fruit bats, can examining bat teeth fill evolutionary gaps?

    The diverse dental features found among bats might help fill gaps in our understanding of how mammal teeth evolved. Scientists from the UW, publishing in Nature Communications, analysed and compared the jaws and teeth of more than 100 noctilionoid bats, revealing the developmental rules that explain the diverse range of dental features. Pictures from Sharlene Santana, professor of biology at the UW, are featured.
    10/30/2023 | Cosmos Magazine
  • Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime

    There are more than 200 species of noctilionoid bats, mostly in the American tropics. And despite being close relatives, their jaws evolved in wildly divergent shapes and sizes to exploit different food sources. A paper published Aug. 22 in Nature Communications shows those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position. For example, bats with short snouts lack certain teeth, presumably due to a lack of space. Species with longer jaws have room for more teeth — and, like humans, their total tooth complement is closer to what the ancestor of placental mammals had.
    10/26/2023 | UW News
  • Opinion: To address climate crisis, address the information crisis

    "The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported that 2023 is already the most expensive year on record for weather and climate disasters in the U.S., with 23 separate disasters that have caused at least $1 billion each in estimated damages," writes Adrienne Russell, professor of communication and co-director of the UW Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy.
    10/19/2023 | The Seattle Times
  • "Ways of Knowing" Episode 4: Environmental Humanities

    Centuries ago, writers depicted the natural world as terrifying and dangerous, no place for humans. But that fear, in the decades to come, gradually turned to appreciation, awe and joy, for poets and artists, sightseers and backpackers. This episode features Louisa Mackenzie, associate professor of Comparative History of Ideas.

    10/10/2023 | UW News
  • “Ways of Knowing” Episode 1: Reading

    What marks the start of the Anthropocene – the geological epoch marked by human impact on the planet? The debate hinges, in part, on how we define “signature events,” the important information left behind as clues. But finding signature events transcends the study of the Anthropocene; it’s how we read to make meaning of a text, a collection of data, even a piece of art. This episode features Jesse Oak Taylor, associate professor of English.

    10/10/2023 | UW News
  • Ways of Knowing: Podcast featuring Faculty from the UW College of Arts & Sciences

    “Ways of Knowing” is an eight-episode podcast connecting humanities research with current events and issues. This season features faculty from across the humanities as they explore race, immigration, history, the natural world – even comic books. Each episode analyzes a work, or an idea, and provides additional resources for learning more. 

    10/10/2023 | UW News
  • US Poet Laureate and UW Drama alumnae Ada Limón announced as a 2023 MacArthur Fellow

    Counterbalancing grief with wonder in works that heighten our awareness of the natural world and our connections to one another.

    10/04/2023 | MacArthur Foundation
  • Astronomers worry about bright object in night sky

    A new satellite has become one of the brightest objects in the night sky, sparking concerns among scientists for the future of astronomy. Meredith Rawls, a research scientist of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

    10/02/2023 | Newsweek
  • Is climate change contributing to mysterious gray whale deaths?

    A surge in gray whale strandings along the West Coast has raised alarms among researchers. Sue Moore, affiliate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    09/15/2023 | Yale Climate Connections