Amazon's trailblazing Sparrow warehouse robot set for wider rollout

• GeekWire’s Todd Bishop got a first-hand look during a visit to Amazon’s fulfillment center in San Marcos, Texas, where Sparrow has been learning the job and honing its skills as part of a working warehouse operation for more than a year. Read the story.

Seattle pre-seed venture capital firm Essence VC, led by managing partner and veteran entrepreneur Timothy Chen, raised $27 million for its third fund to back early-stage technical infrastructure startups. Read more.

Indiana Jones and the tale of real-life archaeologists: As a new film featuring Harrison Ford’s beloved character hits theaters, new generations of archaeologists, including those from Seattle’s Burke Museum, are ready to dig in with 21st-century technologies and sensibilities. Read more.

The City of Seattle awarded $545,000 in Technology Matching Fund grants to 18 nonprofits working on projects to expand digital literacy. Read more.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released his “Downtown Activation Plan,” with a variety of initiatives aimed at helping the city’s urban core bounce back from the pandemic. A new website called “Downtown is You” spells out the plan. Read more.

Astrophysicists have found the best evidence yet for a low-frequency “hum” of gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos. The NANOGrav Collaboration includes researchers from the University of Washington at Bothell. Read more.

Seattle technical recruiting startup Karat laid off 47 employees for the second time this year as it restructures various organizations and seeks profitability. Read more.