Brains and brawn helped crows and ravens take over the world

Crows and ravens have great flying ability, which allows them to gain access to new places. New research from biologists in Arts & Sciences also shows that big bodies and big brains played an important role in helping crows and ravens survive in the new climates they occupied.

Calming overexcited neurons may protect brain after stroke

By scanning the genomes of nearly 6,000 stroke patients, School of Medicine scientists identified two genes associated with recovery. Both are involved in regulating neuronal excitability, suggesting that targeting overstimulated neurons may help promote recovery in the first 24 hours after stroke.

How Dining Services is making lunch more sustainable

From reducing waste to cooking with local produce, Dining Services is striving to make its offerings and operations more sustainable. In honor of Earth Day, Dining Services’ Andrew Watling shares five ways campus kitchens are making a difference. 

Research Wire

Stephen T. Oh, MD, PhD, associate professor at the School of Medicine, received a five-year $2.46 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for molecular hematology training.

Notables

Anika Walke (left) and Geoff Ward, both in Arts & Sciences, won a grant from the Rubin and Gloria Feldman Family Education Institute to support their upcoming Studiolab graduate course “Memory for the Future: Theories and Practices of Critical Curation.”

Notables

WashU and the Living Earth Collaborative are part of a new Missouri-based conservation initiative led by the Saint Louis Zoo. Scientists are looking to answer ecological and health-related questions about canids — red foxes, gray foxes and coyotes — as well as bobcats.