UW News

Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture


March 6, 2024

Scientists CT-scanned thousands of natural history specimens, which you can access for free

Natural history museums have entered a new stage of discovery and accessibility — one where scientists around the globe and curious folks at home can access valuable museum specimens to study, learn or just be amazed. This new era follows the completion of openVertebrate, or oVert, a five-year collaborative project among 18 institutions to create 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens and make them freely available online. The team behind this endeavor, which includes scientists at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, published a summary of the project March 6 in the journal BioScience, offering a glimpse of how the data can be used to ask new questions and spur the development of innovative technology.


January 5, 2024

Husky football players take their skills from the field to the classroom and beyond

Holly Barker, a University of Washington teaching professor of anthropology, and three current members of the UW football team — Ulumoo Ale, Makell Esteen and Faatui Tuitele — are studying how the skills they develop to maximize their chances of victory on the field have applications outside the stadium. Their work, which is ongoing, is showing that the research methods and analytical abilities of student-athletes are applicable in academic and research settings, as well as jobs in a variety of fields.


November 2, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: UW Pandemic Project Radical Listening Session, National First-Generation College Celebration, and more

This week, attend the UW Pandemic Project’s Radical Listening Session to honor each individual’s lived pandemics experiences, head to Meany Hall for Garrick Ohlsson’s piano performance, celebrate Diwali with the Burke Museum, and more. November 7, 4:30 – 6:00pm | Sharon Stein, “The University and Its Responsibility for Repair: Confronting Colonial Foundations and Enabling Different…


October 26, 2023

Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime

There are more than 200 species of noctilionoid bats, mostly in the American tropics. And despite being close relatives, their jaws evolved in wildly divergent shapes and sizes to exploit different food sources. A paper published Aug. 22 in Nature Communications shows those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position. For example, bats with short snouts lack certain teeth, presumably due to a lack of space. Species with longer jaws have room for more teeth — and, like humans, their total tooth complement is closer to what the ancestor of placental mammals had.


October 12, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Frontiers of Physics Lecture, a conversation with Bridgerton author, Archaeology Day at the Burke, and more

This week, attend the Frontiers of Physics Lecture, listen to a conversation with Julia Quinn the author of the Bridgerton series, head to the Burke Museum to celebrate International Archaeology Day, and more. October 17, 7:30pm | Frontiers of Physics Lecture | More perfect than we imagined: A physicist’s view of life, Kane Hall Among the most…


June 1, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: 2023 Awards of Excellence, Graduation, Dino Lecture, Summer Reads and more

This week and summer, honor the 2023 Awards of Excellence recipients, visit the newly renovated Jacob Lawrence Gallery to see the works of design students, add one of College of Arts & Sciences Dean Dianne Harris’ favorite books to your summer reading list, learn about the largest animals to ever roam the earth at the…


April 27, 2023

Video: Tiny, fierce hummingbirds are also an evolutionary delight for UW, Burke researcher

Close up of hummingbird at a feeder

Many of us are familiar with the hummingbirds that visit feeders, plants and gardens around us. But these small creatures are unusual in the ways they push the limits of biology, says Alejandro Rico-Guevara, UW assistant professor biology and curator of ornithology at the Burke Museum. He and his students study hummingbirds and other birds…


April 14, 2023

ArtSci RoundUp: Learn Korean through K-Pop, Discussions on Public University Prospects, Poetry Lecture and more

This week, explore the idea of reconstructed public universities with Christopher Newfield, engage with leaders from the Makah Nation in Washington State on exercising sovereignty, discover the singer in you by learning Korean through K-Pop, and more. April 18, 5:30 PM | HU Tai-Li Memorial Lecture and Film Screening with Scott Simon, Burke Museum The…


April 13, 2023

Africa’s grassy habitats emerged 10+ million years earlier than previously thought

A pair of studies published April 14 in the journal Science paint a new picture about apes, ancient Africa and the origins of humans. Many scientists had once hypothesized that the first apes to evolve in Africa more than 20 million years ago ate primarily fruit and lived within the thick, closed canopy of a nearly continent-wide forest ecosystem. Instead, the new research indicates that early apes ate a leafy diet in a more arid ecosystem of varyingly open woodlands with abundant grasses.


March 31, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Faculty Concerts, Women’s Liberation Movement Book Talk, Dover Quartet and more

This week, head to Meany Hall for the Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet performance, learn about Seattle’s radical women’s liberation movement of the 60s and 70s from Barbara Winslow, celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and more.   April 4, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Energy Security in Europe: Current and Future Challenges, Thomson Hall and Zoom…


March 10, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Health and Houselessness, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, Angela Hewitt, and more

This week, listen in to the “Health and Houselessness in Seattle” conversation, head to the Burke Museum for some cherry blossom activities, witness Angela Hewitt’s famous piano talent, and more.   March 14, 7:30 PM | “Health and Houselessness in Seattle” with Josephine Ensign and Anna Patrick, The Wyncote NW Forum Home to over 730,000…


January 9, 2023

Warming oceans have decimated marine parasites — but that’s not a good thing

jar with fish inside

Save the … parasites? Analyzing 140 years of parasite abundance in fish shows dramatic declines, especially in parasites that rely on three or more host species. The decline is linked to warming ocean temperatures. Parasitic species might be in real danger, researchers warn — and that means not just fewer worms, but losses for the entire ecosystem.


December 15, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: January Preview

Start the new year with lectures, performances, exhibitions and more.


December 2, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: How to Write a DEI Statement in Only 50 Years, Frankenstein Book Chat, School of Music concerts, and more

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


November 22, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Gender & Protests in Iran panel; Languages of Angels performance; Belonging, Queer Relationality, & Black Women’s Labor talk, and more

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


November 10, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Book Talk with Cathy Davidson, Poetry with Ricardo Ruiz, Jazz Innovations with School of Music faculty and students, and more.

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


November 3, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Assessing the 2022 Midterm Election Results With Implications for the Next Two Years and for 2024, Empires Strick Back: Football and Colonialism, and more

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


November 2, 2022

Study reveals how ancient fish colonized the deep sea

A new University of Washington-led study reports that throughout Earth’s ancient history, there were several periods of time when many fish actually favored the cold, dark, barren waters of the deep sea instead of shallow ocean waters that are warm and full of resources.


October 28, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Democracy and the 2022 Midterm Elections, Hafu ハーフ film screening, and more!

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


October 27, 2022

Bats are everywhere, but they get special attention around Halloween

Large bat flying during the day as seen from below against the sky.

These nocturnal flying mammals live in cities and rural areas and in most climates around the world – and maybe even in your own backyard.
Sharlene Santana, a University of Washington professor of biology and curator of mammals at the Burke Museum, explains that there are over 1,400 species of bats spanning an incredible diversity.


October 21, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Miha Sarani exhibition opening, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman conversation, and more

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


October 14, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Grammy winner Morris Robinson, Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest, and more!

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


September 7, 2022

These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males — apparently to evade aggression

1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research from the University of Washington shows that this is a rare case of “deceptive mimicry” within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males.


July 25, 2022

New study challenges old views on what’s ‘primitive’ in mammalian reproduction

Which group of mammals has the more “primitive” reproductive strategy — marsupials, with their short gestation periods, or humans and other placental mammals, which have long gestation periods? For decades, biologists viewed marsupial reproduction as “more primitive.” But University of Washington scientists have discovered that a third group of mammals, the long-extinct multituberculates, had a long gestation period like placental mammals. Since multituberculates split off from the rest of the mammalian lineage before placentals and marsupials had even evolved, these findings question the view that marsupials were “less advanced” than their placental cousins.


June 7, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Monsen Photography Lecture: Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Dino Lecture: The Last of the Dinosaurs, and Celebrating Pride Month

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Monsen Photography Lecture: Paul Mpagi Sepuya June 17, 6:00 – 7:00 PM | Henry Art Gallery The Henry Art Gallery is excited to welcome Paul Mpagi Sepuya as this year’s Monsen Photography Lecture speaker. This annual lecture brings key makers and thinkers in photographic…


Burke Museum receives national award

museum gallery

The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle today announced it is one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The award is given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Burke Museum is the only institution in Washington to be selected.


June 2, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: 2022 Awards of Excellence recipients, Undergraduate Composers Concert

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! 2022 Awards of Excellence recipients  June 9, 3:30 – 5:30 PM | Meany Hall This year’s Awards of Excellence recipients are being recognized for achievements in teaching, mentoring, public service and staff support.  The winners will be honored from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on June…


May 26, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: DinoFest, UW Symphony and Concerto Competition Winners, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! DinoFest June 5, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Burke Museum Put on your pith helmets and head to the home of Washington’s only dinosaur discovery for the Burke Museum’s annual festival of fossils. During this museum-wide event, hear about groundbreaking research from…


May 19, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist: Heri Purwanto, School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibition & More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Gospel Choir May 23, 7:30 PM | Meany Hall Phyllis Byrdwell leads the 100-voice gospel choir in songs of praise, jubilation, and other expressions of the Gospel tradition. $10 | Buy tickets & more info Astronomy on Tap: Technology in Earth Orbit and…


May 12, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: MFA Dance Concert, Passage, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Christina Fiig: Gender Policies in a Context of (Quasi) Permanent Crisis May 17, 12:00 PM | Online Join the Center for West European Studies and the Jean Monnet EU Center to continue the Talking Gender in the EU Lecture Series, with Christina Fiig…


May 5, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series, Stroum Lectures In Jewish Studies 2022: America’s Jewish Question, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture: Japanese Propaganda and the Power of Love: Mobilizing the Wartime Empire May 9, 6:30 PM | Kane Hall 225 Historians and cultural critics often identify “exploiting hate” as the primary affective mode of propaganda. Particularly in the context…


April 29, 2022

ArtSci Roundup

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Carving out a brave space: Courage in art May 3, 7:00 PM | HUB Lyceum & Online “Have something to say. Be brave enough to say it. Use your art to change the world.” UW Drama Professor and Head of Directing & Playwriting…


April 14, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions, A Conversation with Rep. Adam Smith on US National Security Challenges, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Entwined Like a Word and its Meaning: Reflections on Fifty Years of Sanskrit Studies April 20, 7:00 PM | Online Professor Emeritus Richard Salomon (Department of Asian Languages and Literature, UW) will share some of the insights and inspirations he has gained from studying…


March 31, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Perspectives on Cosmopolitan Istanbul in the Hit Netflix Series, “The Club”, School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions Ongoing| Jacob Lawrence Art Gallery Join the School of Art + Art History +…


March 17, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Donna Huanca: MAGMA SLIT, Life in One Cubic Foot, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Donna Huanca: MAGMA SLIT Opens April 2 | Henry Art Gallery Bolivian-American artist Donna Huanca creates work that destabilizes the male gaze while exploring…


March 10, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Re/frame: Orange, Sharon Isbin, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Re/frame: Orange March 17, 12:00 PM | Online Orange can symbolize power, danger, excitement, and enlightenment. In different contexts, orange evokes images ranging…


March 2, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, Space Between: Photographs from the Collection, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band March 8, 7:30 PM | Meany Hall The UW Wind Ensemble (Timothy Salzman, director) performs music by Joseph…


February 24, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Lauren Williams: Wake Work*, Concert and Campus Bands, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Don’t Miss Before it Closes! Lauren Williams: Wake Work* Through March 5 | The Jacob Lawrence Gallery What happens in the wake of…


February 17, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: DXARTS Winter Concert: Movement Actuation, Jazz Innovations: Part 1 and 2, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Voice Division Recital February 22, 4:00 PM | Brechemin Auditorium Students of Thomas Harper and Carrie Shaw perform works from the vocal repertoire. Free…


February 10, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Charles Yu at Benaroya Hall, Faculty Recital: Melia Watras: The almond tree duos, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Charles Yu at Benaroya Hall February 15, 7:30 PM | Benaroya Hall & Online Shawn Wong, Professor of English, will moderate the Q&A…



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