The Record

Scanning Madagascar

The island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa was largely unexplored seismically until recently. The first broadband seismic images of the island help solve a longstanding mystery: Why are there volcanoes far from any tectonic boundary?

Colangelo named first Ralph J. Nagel Dean

Carmon Colangelo has been installed as the inaugural Ralph J. Nagel Dean of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. The position was established thanks to a $5 million commitment from Trustee Ralph Nagel and his wife, Trish Nagel, both alumni.

Could there be life in Pluto’s syrupy sea?

Pluto is thought to possess a subsurface ocean, a tremendous clue that other dwarf planets in deep space also may contain similarly exotic oceans. William McKinnon, of Arts & Sciences, is a co-author of new Pluto studies published in Nature.

New director of pediatric critical care medicine named

Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg, MD, PhD, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the School of Medicine. The nationally recognized physician has expertise in bacterial infections.

WashU Expert: Controversy over Cures Act continues

The 21st Century Cures Act — the vast bill aimed at bolstering medical research and revamping the way drugs are approved — is a step in the right direction but is far from perfect, said Rachel Sachs, a health-care industry expert at the School of Law.