Environment

King 5 News features the Burke Museum's "Burke From Home" curriculum, which provides fun and accessible materials to learn about the animals and ecosystems of Washington.

Ancient food scraps found at Australia’s earliest site of human occupation, in the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory, are helping researchers generate rainfall records dating back 65,000 years. A new study led by the University of Queensland and involving the University of Washington provides a glimpse into the region’s climate at the time when people first entered the Australian continent from the north.

Anyone who has been stung by a jellyfish might think they know more than enough about cnidocytes, the cells that deliver the sting. But a researcher has found that these cells have much more to tell, including insight into a simple evolutionary mechanism that may enable jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, and their relatives — collectively known as cnidarians — to quickly adapt to new environments. Billie Swalla, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Our primate ancestors might have become “protomusical” to advertise their ability to perform death-defying leaps from tree to tree. David Schruth, a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology at the UW, is referenced.

“Might a singular focus on zero emissions lead to the neglect of climate adaptation policies that have less media appeal? As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, climate policy should pay attention to two important but neglected issues: how the electric car industry will source inputs — such as copper, cobalt, nickel and lithium — and, because climate change is already underway, how prepared countries and cities are to adapt to different dimensions of climate change,” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

A 19th-century claim has fueled a 21st-century debate about how a warming climate might reshape animals. One "rule," declaring that animals in warmer regions usually have darker exteriors, whereas those in cooler regions are lighter, is being reconsidered. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

“For [Milton] Friedman, managers are agents who work on behalf of owners: their principals. Because all shareholders want to maximize their return on investments, the Friedman logic goes that managers have a duty to focus solely on profit maximization. Should, then, managers support climate actions in response to stakeholders’ pressure?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW; Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW; and Jennifer Griffin of Loyola University Chicago.

Elena Campbell, associate professor of history, is teaching a new class on the history of mankind's relationship to the Artic.

Twenty moments from a year like no other — captured through the lenses of UW photographers.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains recent protests by Indian farmers.

“India has enacted new laws that lift restrictions on where and to whom farmers can sell their crops. Why then are Indian farmers protesting instead of celebrating their new economic freedom?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

A trove from a Portuguese trading ship that sank in 1533 preserved genetic traces of whole elephant lineages that have vanished from West Africa. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Jason Hodin, a biology research scientist at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, talks about his work successfully breeding sunflower sea stars.

“[MacKenzie] Scott and [Jeff] Bezos are not impulsive philanthropists. Their advisors have pored over lots of data to identify the beneficiaries. Yet, they fund different causes and organizations. Why so and what does this reveal about their priorities?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

“President-elect Biden’s July 2020 climate plan outlined a zero emission pledge. States, such as California and Washington, and companies, such as Microsoft and Google, have also announced net-zero emission pledges. But there is a catch,” write the UW’s Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs; Aseem Prakash, professor of political science; and Inhwan Ko, a doctoral student in political science.