Research

  • Analysis: Stone tool discovery in China shows people in East Asia were innovating during the Middle Paleolithic, like in Europe and Middle East

    "New technologies today often involve electronic devices that are smaller and smarter than before. During the Middle Paleolithic, when Neanderthals were modern humans neighbors, new technologies meant something quite different: new kinds of stone tools that were smaller but could be used for many tasks and lasted for a long time," Ben Marwick, professor of anthropology at the UW.
    04/02/2025 | The Conversation
  • ArtSci People & Research in the Media: Winter Quarter Roundup

    The College of Arts & Sciences is home to many distinguished researchers, faculty, and students. Their work and contributions have been featured in media outside of the UW and across the country. Take a look at some ArtSci features from this past Winter Quarter. From new telescopes to UW in high schools, ArtSci in the Media has something for everyone!

    04/01/2025 | College of Arts & Sciences
  • The importance of Indigenous curators

    Any institution with a depository of Indigenous items that receives federal funds must notify a tribe if it has the tribes property and obtain informed consent. But a staggering number of institutions have ignored the law. Sven Haakanson, chair of anthropology at the UW and curator of Native American anthropology at the Burke Museum, is quoted.

    04/01/2025 | High Country News
  • Through Chemistry and 3D Printing, New Materials Emerge

    Chemistry professor Alshakim Nelson and his research team use 3D-printing technology to develop new materials with potential real-world applications in medicine, engineering, and sustainability.

    April 2025 Perspectives
  • Discovery of Quina technology challenges view of ancient human development in East Asia

    Ben Marwick, a University of Washington professor of archaeology, was part of a team of researchers that uncovered a complete Quina technological system in the Longtan site in southwest China. The discovery challenges the widely held perception that the Middle Paleolithic period was mostly static in East Asia.
    UW News
  • FDA approved Viagra 27 years ago, reshaping US attitudes about sex

    It was the little pill that could a medical breakthrough that changed the way Americans thought and talked about sex and aging. Thursday marks 27 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of Viagra, the nations first oral medication for whats now commonly known as erectile dysfunction. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

    USA Today
  • Five UW researchers named AAAS Fellows

    Five University of Washington researchers have been named AAAS Fellows, according to a March 27 announcement by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among 471 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in science and engineering.
    UW News
  • Analysis: The enduring power of the Omoro Sshi

    "Songs are not mere entertainment if we consider the case of Japan. There, they can be the very essence of life itself," writes Davinder Bhowmik, a UW associate professor of Asian languages and literature.
    Northwest Asian Weekly
  • Analysis: Sudans civil war: What military advances mean, and where the country could be heading next

    The Conversation turned to Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, to explain what the war has cost and where it could turn now.
    The Conversation
  • A telescope is taking 12 years to build but could find extraterrestrial life in hours

    The circumstances need to be right, but modeling suggests finding biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars will be well within the Extremely Large Telescopes capacity. The UW's Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy, and Miles Currie, a doctoral student of astronomy, are mentioned.
    IFLScience
  • A telescope is taking 12 years to build but could find extraterrestrial life in hours

    The circumstances need to be right, but modeling suggests finding biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars will be well within the Extremely Large Telescopes capacity. The UW's Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy, and Miles Currie, a doctoral student of astronomy, are mentioned.
    IFLScience
  • Cloaked in color: UW-led research finds some female hummingbirds evolve male plumage to dodge aggression

    Trickery by female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds results in reduced aggression from other hummingbirds and increased access to nectar resources.
    UW News
  • An Earful of AI

    Hearing aid technology is improving all the time with the help of AI, thanks to researchers like Yi Shen, professor of speech & hearing sciences. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • The Evolution of the Book

    As books evolve with new technologies, Geoffrey Turnovsky, professor of French, explores the history of texts — and the reading experience. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • Elon Musk, and how techno-fascism has come to America

    The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musks rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.
    The New Yorker