Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants
Scientists have discovered one way that a host plant can keep the peace among residents that might otherwise kill each other. The new research from biologist Susanne S. Renner, in Arts & Sciences, is published in Science.
Winged migration
St. Louis sits on the Mississippi Flyway — the largest migratory pathway used by birds in North America. In this photo story, learn about a long-term study of migratory birds led by volunteers at WashU’s Tyson Research Center that is yielding new data on bird longevity and migration patterns.
Religion, politics and war drive urban wildlife evolution
The downstream consequences of religion, politics and war can have far-reaching effects on the environment and on the evolutionary processes affecting urban organisms, according to a new analysis from Washington University in St. Louis.
Friend named chair of mechanical engineering, materials science
James Friend, of the University of California, San Diego, has been named chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science in the McKelvey School of Engineering. His appointment will begin in 2026.
Frank A. Podosek, planetary scientist, 83
Frank A. Podosek, a professor emeritus of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died June 8 in Florida. He was 83 years old.
Sleep data from wearable device may help predict preterm birth
An interdisciplinary research team at Washington University in St. Louis has found that variability in sleep patterns in people experiencing pregnancy can effectively predict preterm birth.
A unified theory of the mind
Biologist Keith Hengen in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis says “criticality” is the key to understanding how the brain works — and how to keep it free from Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Biologist Cox wins young investigator award
Kevin Cox, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, received the 2025 Eric E. Conn Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists.
Cosmic ‘lenses’ will better define dark matter
Physicists Bryce Wedig and Tansu Daylan, in Arts & Sciences, calculated how many gravitational lenses will be uncovered by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope when it begins science operations in 2027. By examining a large population of these lenses, the researchers hope to learn a lot more about the mysterious nature of dark matter.
Why the moon shimmers with shiny glass beads
Using a variety of microscopic analysis techniques not available when the Apollo astronauts first returned samples from the moon, physicist Ryan Ogliore in Arts & Sciences helped unlock the secrets of tiny lunar beads.
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