Author: Talia Ogliore

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.

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.

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.

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.

A study led by physicist Shankar Mukherji in Arts & Sciences uses a new technique to simultaneously visualize how six major organelles within a cell change as the cell grows. The work has implications for how cells regulate metabolism and growth, which is important in both health and disease.

A new study reveals that students learn best through prediction activities, even though they don’t realize it. This idea is at the center of research published by biologist Elise Walck-Shannon and her co-instructors for an introductory genetics course in Arts & Sciences.

The Biotech Explorers Pathway, a first-year Ampersand Program in Arts & Sciences, uses biotechnology as the theme that immerses students in real-world science, according to a new career feature written by WashU authors.

Archaeologist Natalie Mueller in Arts & Sciences explains how ancient agricultural systems could become a source of alternative crops and methods in an era of rapid climate change.

Seniors Basma Daham, Autumn Kim, Angelina O’Brien and Lillith Streett, in Arts & Sciences, were named winners of the Department of Biology’s annual awards.

Biologist Jonathan Losos, in Arts & Sciences, has documented evidence of a kind of “copycat” evolution between extremely short-faced breeds of cats and dogs. Generations of intentional breeding have led these animals to converge on a rounded, flat-nosed head shape that humans prefer — even though the shape causes a variety of health ailments.