Author: Talia Ogliore

Physicists from Washington University in St. Louis are developing a new experiment as part of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. Brian Rauch in Arts & Sciences is leading the effort, which will investigate the origins of heavy elements in the universe and has a $20 million cost cap.

On Monday, Aug. 29, NASA plans to launch its Orion spacecraft from the world’s most powerful rocket for a trip around the moon. Lunar scientist Bradley L. Jolliff in Arts & Sciences explains why the Artemis mission represents the next great leap in human exploration of space.

Biologists in the laboratory of Hani Zaher in Arts & Sciences examined the modified nucleotides used in COVID-19 vaccines. The modifications faithfully produce the protein products as designed, a welcome sign for future RNA therapeutics.

A study in Molecular Cell led by chemist Gary Patti in Arts & Sciences shows that cancer cells don’t want to waste glucose, they just consume it too quickly. The discovery was made possible with metabolomics, which allowed Patti and his team to observe the speed at which small molecules move through cells.

Biologist Susanne Renner in Arts & Sciences investigated the oldest known seeds from watermelon relatives. Her research team shared two new genomes of the ancient seeds and described how Neolithic humans in Libya likely used the seeds, not the bitter flesh, from the melons.

Animals will often put their lives on the line for reproduction, even if it comes at the cost of being the wrong temperature. New research from biologist Michael Moore in Arts & Sciences could help reveal the pathways that organisms might take as they adapt to a warming world.

Jonathan Barnes, assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, won a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate and expand efficient methods for synthesizing catenane-based polymers and networked materials.

The National Science Foundation is investing $3 million in a new graduate student training program for aspiring scientists and educators who want to explore careers in quantum science at St. Louis-area research laboratories, private companies and other facilities.

Insect-eating plants have fascinated biologists for more than a century, but how plants evolved the ability to capture and consume live prey has largely remained a mystery. Biologist Ivan Radin in Arts & Sciences and collaborators investigated the molecular basis of plant carnivory in sundews and found evidence that it evolved from mechanisms plants use to defend themselves.

Geoscientist Rita Parai in Arts & Sciences uses noble gas isotopes to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. Her new modeling study published in PNAS shows that the deep mantle had low concentrations of volatiles like xenon and water when it formed, setting up an internal viscosity contrast with lasting impacts.