Department of Biology

A University of Washington research team has captured color photographs of what could be a previously undocumented species of chambered nautilus, a cephalopod mollusk often classified as a "living fossil," in the waters off American Samoa in the South Pacific.

New research led by the University of Washington challenges the 140-year-old assumption that prehistoric mammals such as horses, rhinos and gazelles lived in grasslands.

UW biologist Sam Wasser pushes for more forensic testing of seized ivory to help track down poachers, slow elephant slaughter.

UW assistant professor of biology Benjamin Kerr is corresponding author of a paper examining the importance of early and gradual mutations among bacteria populations when confronted with surviving would be extinction-causing conditions.

Professor of biology Emily Carrington reported Saturday that the fibrous threads she calls "nature's bungee cords" become 60 percent weaker in water that was 15 degrees F above typical summer temperatures where the mussels were from.

UW biologist Michael Dickinson explains the intricacies of fly brains - given their abundant numbers, one of the most common brains on Earth - using videos of flies in flight, Donald Trump and chewing crabs. Flies may have brains smaller than a grain of salt, but this TEDx talk delivered at Caltech, may just cause you to think next time, before you swat.

For already vulnerable penguins, a UW study finds climate change is another danger.

UW biologists are studying mosquitoes to understand why they crave human blood and to explore what happens when their sensory system is rewired in the lab.

The White House announced that UW biology professor Jay Parrish has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the government's highest honor for scientists in the early stages of their research careers. 

When Frehley, a young border collie, was brought to a Seattle animal shelter, he was deemed unadoptable. Too much energy. Too single-minded. Too much to handle.

Biology professors Dee Boersma and Sam Wasser are building public awareness and altering international policies to preserve wildlife. Their focus and approach are highly specialized but both have managed to educate others about the cost of human consumption. Maintaining biodiversity is no easy task, yet they embrace the idea that the world can change one person at a time.

Think of it as Habitat for Penguinity. Working with Parque Nacional Galápagos, Dee Boersma is behind the effort to build nests in the barren rocks of the Galápagos Islands in the hope of increasing the population of an endangered penguin species. Boersma is a UW professor of biology and Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Science.

UW Professor Emeritus Estella Leopold has been awarded the International Cosmos Prize, which honors those who further the "harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind." The prize carries a cash award of 40 million yen—nearly $500,000—and goes to just one individual or team each year.

No need to leave campus for the farm experience. The student-run UW Farm, tucked into a third of an acre on campus, is a working farm with ties to courses in everything from biology to anthropology to American Ethnic Studies. 

The Biology Department has tested teaching methods that keep students engaged and accountable, even in its 700-student classes. As a result, more students are passing the courses—with better grades—than in past years.