Month: December 2020

After months of failed negotiations that have left many Americans, businesses and the economy in the lurch, lawmakers are scrambling to reach a deal on an economic stimulus plan that could top $900 billion. If Congress passes the deal, will it do enough to help struggling Americans and businesses stay afloat? To answer that question, three business and economics experts at Washington University in St. Louis shared their thoughts on the proposed plan, what lawmakers got right, what is missing and what ticking time bombs remain.

Walter H. Lewis, professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died peacefully at his home in St. Louis on Nov. 17, 2020. He was 90.

As part of a historic effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care personnel at the School of Medicine and BJC HealthCare have begun receiving the first doses of a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

December graduate Dani Wilder is helping local students through the WashU Tutoring Initiative, a network of 130 K-12 student tutors who lead online lessons in math, science, languages and more for both typical learners and those with learning or physical disabilities. The program supports 440 families in the St. Louis region. 

Ribosomes are the machines in the cell that use instructions from mRNA to synthesize functional proteins. When something goes awry, cells monitor for ribosome collisions to determine the severity of the problem, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis biologists in Arts & Sciences.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a protein that links the amyloid-removal process to the circadian clock. The protein, YKL-40, could help explain why people with Alzheimer’s frequently suffer from sleep disturbances — and provide a new target for Alzheimer’s therapies.

The Washington University Equity and Inclusion Council recently released its first progress update. The council is charged with creating a process to build sustainable, lasting change on campus.

Aadel A. Chaudhuri, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine, has received the V Scholar Award from the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Chao Zhou, a Washington University in St. Louis engineer who develops novel optical imaging technologies for biomedical applications, has been awarded a Stein Innovation Award from Research to Prevent Blindness to pursue development of novel imaging methods for diagnostic uses.

The Chinese space agency announced Dec. 16 the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. Bradley L. Jolliff, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, reflects on the scientific value of the samples.