Environment

Honors Peer Educator Zoe Mertz felt more engaged than ever by this year’s online Global Challenges event, saying: "I really appreciated the range of knowledge and disciplinary experience the speakers brought to the conversation; and the topic felt immediate and relevant to students in all disciplines." A video recording of Drs. Bushnell, Spigner and Koutnik's Nov. 12 discussion on communicating crises across a divided public is available to view and to share.

Wrinkle-faced bats incorporate whistles, wing flaps and furry masks into their mating rituals, researchers have found. Sharlene Santana, associate professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, talks about polarization in the 2020 race, the role of social media, how the results differed from expectations and what the election means for climate change.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains what challenges Biden faces in his path to the presidency.

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.”

Environmental groups have become some of the biggest spenders in U.S. politics this election. Washington is no exception. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

A new UW study finds that denser neighborhoods reach peak infection rate earlier while nearby neighborhoods won’t reach their peak infection until weeks or even years later. Zack Almquist, assistant professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

It’s the most expensive race in Washington’s 2020 election. In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in Southwest Washington, Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler is fighting for a sixth term against second-time Democrat challenger Carolyn Long. Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, are interviewed.

“A recent study has determined that watching nature programming on TV or via a virtual-reality headset reduces feelings of sadness and boredom. According to researchers from the University of Exeter, scenes of nature soothe us – whether they are real video footage of a coral reef, to use the study’s example, or even just computer-generated graphics of the same,” writes Adrienne Matei. Peter Kahn, professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences, is quoted.

Leela Fernandes, director of the UW Jackson School of International Studies, joins former Attorney General Rob McKenna and KUOW's Ross Reynolds for a preview of the final presidential debate.

“Democrats project the image of one big happy pro-climate family, united against a common foe. This has fed the expectation that the Biden administration will transform U.S. climate policy. Trump turned the climate action switch off, but Biden will turn it back on,” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

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.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains Amazon's "Climate Pledge Friendhly" label and whether it'll impact online shopping.

How climate change and U.S.-China relations could affect the 2020 elections were top of mind last week at a University of Washington presentation. The presentation was given by Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, and Susan Whiting, an associate professor of political science at the UW.

From studios in the University and Fremont bridge towers, two local illustrators — E.T. Russian, a physical therapist at the UW Medical Center, and Roger Fernandes, a lecturer of American Indian studies at the UW — draw attention to the region’s history.