UW News

Social science


May 14, 2013

DNA analysis unearths origins of Minoans, the first major European civilization

The maternal genetic information passed down through many generations of mitochondria is still present in modern-day residents of the Lassithi plateau of Crete.


April 3, 2013

Diversity programs give illusion of corporate fairness, study shows

Black and white hands clasped.

Diversity training programs lead people to believe that work environments are fair even when given evidence of hiring, promotion or salary inequities, according to findings by UW psychologists.


April 2, 2013

South African gender, sexuality and race topic of Samuel E. Kelly lecture April 18

headshot of Amanda Lock Swarr

Amanda Lock Swarr, a UW associate professor in gender, women and sexuality studies, will deliver the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity’s ninth annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Thurs., April 18.


April 1, 2013

News Digest: Built “ecologies” lecture April 4, cybersecurity competition winner, autism awareness lectures

Built “ecologies,” resource integration subject of lecture April 4 || UW wins sixth consecutive regional cybersecurity competition || Autism center lecture series in Seattle, Tacoma


March 27, 2013

Federal ‘detainer requests’ for suspected immigration violators cause longer jail stays, increase cost, UW research shows

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests a suspect.

Jail stays and costs increase when federal immigration authorities request that inmates be held under what are called “detainer requests,” according to UW research.


March 19, 2013

Jordanna Bailkin studies postwar Britain in new book ‘The Afterlife of Empire’

"The Afterlife of Empire" was published in November 2012 by the University of California Press.

UW History Professor Jordanna Bailkin discusses her new book “The Afterlife of Empire.”


Grieving parents find solace in remembrance photography – with photo gallery

baby hands

A UW anthropology student investigated how remembrance photography helps grieving parents, and how the practice’s resurgence could signal a change in the way death and dying are dealt with in our society.


March 18, 2013

UW students create, harvest fog in campus ‘hoop house’

Facutly members examines creen of green matting in haze of fog

University of Washington students have been testing low-cost materials capable of harvesting water from fog.


March 11, 2013

Long-term relationships, access to data drive sustainability institutions’ success

College of the Environment logo and Mount Rainier

Successful sustainability initiatives need to be grounded in long-standing relationships among scientists, local communities and decision-makers, UW’s Lisa Graumlich told a session on sustainability science at AAAS.


March 4, 2013

United States lags behind many developed countries on key health measures

Dr. Christopher Murray in Tanzania

A public symposium on the Global Burden of Diseases study will be held on campus Monday, March 11.


February 13, 2013

Psychology in the real world: Public lecture series begins

Poster for the 2013 psychology lecture series

The eighth annual Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lecture Series will spotlight “The Science of Psychology in the Real World,” exploring psychological aspects of the natural world, adolescence and the law.


February 5, 2013

Scholars urge Supreme Court to keep Voting Rights Act provisions ensuring equal access

Voters cast ballots in the 2012 election.

Political science and law scholars from the UW and elsewhere file a brief saying the Supreme Court should fully uphold the Voting Rights Act in a case out of Shelby County, Alabama.


February 4, 2013

Ralina Joseph studies multiraciality in new book ‘Transcending Blackness’

"Transcending Blackness," by Ralina L. Joseph.

Ralina Joseph, UW associate professor of communications, discusses her book, “Transcending Blackness: From the New Millennium Mulatta to the Exceptional Multiracial.”


January 29, 2013

More sex for married couples with traditional divisions of housework

Photo of husband and wife sharing chores

Married couples who divide chores in traditional ways have more sex than couples who share so-called men’s and women’s work.


January 23, 2013

Better outlook for dwindling black macaque population in Indonesia

a group of black macaques in Indonesia

Hunting and habitat loss harm the critically endangered Sulawesi black macaque, but new research shows the population has stabilized in the past decade.


January 22, 2013

Brain structure of infants predicts language skills at 1 year

One year old baby with experimenters

Researchers at UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences have found that the anatomy of certain brain areas – the hippocampus and cerebellum – can predict children’s language abilities at 1 year of age.


January 8, 2013

‘The Philosophical Child’: A book for when your child asks, ‘Why are we here?’

Art from the cover of Philosophy for Children.

Children are natural philosophers, says Jana Mohr Lone of the UW Department of Philosophy and author of a new book titled “The Philosophical Child.”


January 7, 2013

Human trafficking conference to focus on poverty, trade policy

Hands and wrists chained together.

Human trafficking is commonly thought of as part of the sex trade, but in reality it entangles many more types of labor and continues to grow worldwide even as laws try to squelch it. The UW Women’s Center will hold a conference Jan. 11-12 to take a fresh look at the issue.


January 2, 2013

While in womb, babies begin learning language from their mothers

Baby with image of vowels

Babies only hours old are able to differentiate between sounds from their native language and a foreign language, scientists have discovered. The study indicates that babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb, earlier than previously thought.


December 31, 2012

Study shows naloxone kits cost-effective in preventing overdose deaths

Giving heroin users kits with the overdose antidote naloxone can help save lives. Efforts are under way to make similar kits available for prescription opioid users.


December 26, 2012

For New Year’s resolutions to stick, plan ahead

List of resolutions

This year, for sure, you will lose weight, quit smoking, drink less, learn a new language, get a better job, and travel to exotic lands. And of course you’re going to eat better, stress less and create (and stick to) a household budget – all while spending more time with the family. It’s gonna happen!…


December 19, 2012

Composting confusion rampant in UW waste bins, study finds

students sort trash

A study of waste bins at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus revealed that 88 percent of the contents in trash bins could have been recycled or composted. Most – 72 percent – of what didn’t belong in trash bins turned out to be compostable items, such as food, carry-out containers and paper coffee cups.


December 17, 2012

Aging, end-of-life expert offers advice for coping with holiday blues

A sorrowing old man in the painting "At Eternity's Gate" by Vincent van Gogh.

The holidays can be a time of sadness and loneliness, and UW’s Wendy Lustbader has advice on how to deal with these issues.


December 6, 2012

Tipsy? UW expert’s tips for reining in holiday drinking

A snifter of port wine.

The omnipresence of alcohol at holiday gatherings and the social ease that a little buzz provides make it hard to limit ourselves. UW’s Dennis Donovan offers advice for how to drink moderately, and treatment approaches he’s used with people recovering from alcohol problems.


October 30, 2012

UW geographer Victoria Lawson to deliver Katz Lecture

Victoria Lawson headshot

Victoria Lawson, a UW geography professor, will kick off the 2012-2013 Katz Distinguished Lectures in the Humanities series with a talk Nov. 7 titled “A Crisis of Care and a Crisis of Borders: Towards Caring Citizenship.”


October 29, 2012

Early autism intervention improves brain responses to social cues

child in experiment wears electrodes on head

An autism intervention program that emphasizes social interactions improves cognitive skills and brain responses to faces, the first demonstration that an intensive behavioral intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism.


October 22, 2012

Friendship 2.0: Teens’ technology use promotes sense of belonging, identity

Two girls sit on a street curb while texting

A new study from the University of Washington shows that digital media helps teens reach developmental milestones, but raises questions about whether digital connectedness might hinder the development of an autonomous sense of self.


October 17, 2012

Living Voters Guide adds fact-checking by Seattle librarians for 2012 election

The Living Voters Guide, created by the UW and presented with Seattle’s CityClub, just won a regional award and has been updated for the 2012 election. This year the guide has expanded to include a California edition, and the Washington guide will include fact-checking of selected points by Seattle Public Library staff.


October 16, 2012

Marriage, education can help improve well-being of adults abused as children

child looks out of window

Researchers investigating the long-term consequences of child abuse have identified some protective factors that can improve the health of victims during their adulthood.


October 2, 2012

‘A-game’ strategies for parents, coaches in youth sports

Book covers for Parenting Young Athletes and Sport Psychology for Youth Coaches.

Parents typically are the biggest headaches for coaches in youth sports. In two new books, UW psychology professors share strategies to help parents and coaches work together to help kids get more out of sports.


October 1, 2012

Among voters lacking strong party preferences, Obama faces 20 percent handicap due to race bias

The presidential seal

Race biases are having a strong anti-Obama effect among the least politically partisan voters, according to a study by Anthony Greenwald, a UW psychology professor.


September 27, 2012

Browser plug-in helps people balance their political news reading habits

Screenshot of Balancer tool

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, many voters become voracious consumers of online political news. A new tool tracks whether all those articles really provide a balanced view of the debate – and, if not, suggests some sites that offer opinions from the other side of the political spectrum.


September 26, 2012

Treasure trove of restricted social science data now available to Pacific Northwest researchers

The newly-opened Northwest Census Research Data Center in the University District will provide qualified researchers with access to restricted data.


September 20, 2012

Low income linked to poorer health in both U.S. and England, despite different health systems

Although the English are generally healthier than Americans, both countries grapple with large health inequalities. A new study suggests that in both countries, health and wealth are tightly linked. The study, published online Sept. 20 in the American Journal of Public Health, links income level with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and other health conditions….


September 12, 2012

Official U.S. poverty rate remains high, middle class incomes decline

empty pocket

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today show that, after increasing since 2008, the poverty rate for the U.S. remained stable at 15 percent between 2010 and 2011. In Washington state, the estimated poverty rate increased from 11.5 percent (774,000 residents) to 12.5 percent (854,000 residents) between 2010 and 2011.


August 20, 2012

Model shows dramatic global decline in ratio of workers to retired people

A new statistical model predicts that by 2100 the number of people older than 85 worldwide will increase more than previously estimated.


August 17, 2012

Longer time to find new job, less pay for moms laid off during recession

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

A 2010 national survey of laid-off workers shows married moms spent more time between jobs, were less likely to find new jobs and eventually were paid less than married dads.


August 16, 2012

Back to school tips for parents from UW psychologists

school bus with kids

When kids go back to school in a few weeks, it can be a mixed bag of challenges including adjusting to school routines and worries over academics, bullies and fitting in with other peers.


August 9, 2012

Crowd funding on campus: UW scientists raise money for research online

Video of Lauren Kuehne's campaign

When Rachel Aronson travels this month to Alaska, she and a local research assistant will interview people who are in danger of being displaced by climate change. She will also send about 100 postcards to her funders. Aronson is among a growing number of University of Washington students, faculty and staff who are using online…


August 7, 2012

South African Olympic runner’s struggle shines a spotlight on country’s ongoing sexual violence

Caster Semenya at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

South African track athlete Caster Semenya carried her country’s flag in the opening ceremony at the London Olympics. The 21-year-old former 800-meter world champion, for years the subject of speculation around her gender, was chosen over male athletes including a swimmer, a long jumper and a double-amputee runner. The choice was of interest to a…



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