Author: Talia Ogliore

Collaborators from eight St. Louis area institutions will investigate the microbiomes of local box turtles; the diversification of flowering plants in the Gulf of Guinea; and adaptation to climate change and biodiversity loss in Madagascar, among other projects.

Brian Rauch, research assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, co-authored a study in Physical Review Letters that suggests that certain cosmic rays move through the galaxy differently. The research addresses fundamental questions about how matter is generated and distributed across the universe.

James H. Buckley, professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, received a $4.9 million award from NASA to build a demonstration version of a large satellite experiment for gamma-ray astronomy research. Washington University leads the entire effort to develop the instrument, which is planned to launch on a scientific balloon in 2024.

Biologists discovered that E. coli bacteria have a strategy that may help them to survive in between meals. The new research from the laboratory of Petra Levin in Arts & Sciences is published in PNAS.

A study with Australian reptiles establishes a new return-on-investment method of determining species that are a priority for taxonomic research: undescribed species that are likely already threatened.

Global oceans absorb about 25% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. Electricity-eating bacteria known as photoferrotrophs could provide a boost to this essential process, according to new research from biologist Arpita Bose in Arts & Sciences.

Maia Cohen and Ellie Moreland, who graduated in May, each received named prizes in special recognition for their academic achievement.

Maria Piarulli, assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, was selected by the Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program for her research program, “From Atomic Nuclei to Infinite Nucleonic Matter within Chiral Dynamics.”

Biologist Bruce Carlson in Arts & Sciences draws parallels between human language and electric communication in fish. His new research published in Current Biology reveals an underlying mechanism for how pauses allow neurons in the midbrain to recover from stimulation.

A new study from the laboratory of Rick Vierstra in Arts & Sciences helps explain how proteins called phytochromes respond to light intensity and temperature, thus enabling land plants to colonize the planet many millions of year ago.