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Husky 100
The 2021 Husky 100, a group of 100 students making the most of their time at the UW, have been announced.
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Communication technology, study of collective behavior must be ‘crisis discipline,’ researchers argue
Our ability to confront global crises, from pandemics to climate change, depends on how we interact and share information. Social media and other forms of communication technology restructure these interactions in ways that have consequences. Unfortunately, we have little insight into whether these changes will bring about a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. As a result, researchers now say that the study of collective behavior must rise to a “crisis discipline,” just like medicine, conservation and climate science have done, according to a new paper published this month.
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The Health 202: The pandemic intensified the tech censorship debate
For four months, Facebook censored claims that the coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. But the company has reversed its stance, in a prime example of how the pandemic has intensified the free speech questions already plaguing social media titans. The decision has thrown into sharp relief the challenges of evaluating misinformation amid evolving scientific debates. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
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We’re clamping down on the ivory trade, but is it too late for elephants?
The global trade in ivory is worth about $23 billion. While governments are starting to crack down on the trade, it might be too little, too late. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.
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Should businesses have to keep track of employee vaccinations?
An orphaned elephant named Nania may soon get to return to their family — if conservationists can find their family, that is. Scientists are searching for relatives using DNA extracted from dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is interviewed. [This is the fifth segment of "The Record"]
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Ivory Trade Loopholes Close as Nations Race to Crush Poachers
A proposal by the European Union would match U.S. and China bans on elephant poaching. But given recent record seizures, it may be too late for elephants. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.
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Struggling Seabirds Are Red Flag for Ocean Health
Seabirds are “sentinels” of ocean health. If marine ecosystems are suffering, the birds will be among the first to show it. Now a major study finds that seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are already struggling. And without extra precautions, those in the Southern Hemisphere might be next. Dee Boersma, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
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Seabirds face dire threats from climate change, human activity — especially in Northern Hemisphere
P. Dee Boersma, professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is the co-author of a new study about seabird health.
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DNA testing pioneered in effort to track down long-lost mother of ‘orphan’ elephant
Nania, a critically endangered forest elephant, became separated from her herd when she was only three months old, and ever since has been hand-reared by wildlife carers in her homeland, Burkina Faso. But now they are searching for her mother using DNA analysis of dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.
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Pandemic-era paleontology: A wayward skull, at-home fossil analyses and a first for Antarctic amphibians
UW paleontology researchers discuss the changes their field has undergone during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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What Does a Future Without Herd Immunity Look Like?
Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, discusses the end goal of COVID-19 management if herd immunity isn't achievable.
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Science Had a Misinformation Problem Before COVID. Scientists Want to Fix It
The UW's Jevin West, associate professor in the Information School, and Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, are studying how the publishing industry pushes misinformation, and how to make it better.
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2021 COTE® Top Ten: University of Washington, Life Sciences Building
The Life Sciences Building, which houses the Department of Biology, has earned the COTE® Top Ten Award for sustainable design excellence.
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Southern resident orcas celebrate 3 healthy calves as researchers find J pod in best overall condition in a decade
Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, has found that two-thirds of pregnancies in Southern resident orca whales are lost due to nutritional stress through his new research.
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STEM classes don’t teach engineers how to think
"It’s no secret that the media eagerly reports potential technical breakthroughs with hyperventilating headlines ... [but] the media often fails to clearly indicate the preliminary nature of the findings they trumpet. Even worse, they seldom report when the studies they hyped previously fail to pan out," writes Executive Editor Leland Teschler. The UW's Jevin West, associate professor in the UW Information School, and Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, are quoted.