Movement of crops, animals played key role in domestication
Over the last 15 years, archaeologists have challenged outdated ideas about humans controlling nature. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Xinyi Liu in Arts & Sciences argues for a new conceptual bridge connecting the science of biological domestication to early food globalization.
Learning to Disagree
Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect
Are you discouraged by our divided, angry culture, where even listening to a different perspective sometimes feels impossible? If so, you’re not alone, and it doesn’t have to be this way. “Learning to Disagree” reveals the surprising path to learning how to disagree in ways that build new bridges with our neighbors, coworkers and loved ones — and help us find better ways to live joyfully in a complex society.
Kazakhstan launches child account policy informed by Brown School research
Kazakhstan has launched a national Child Development Account policy informed by research from the Brown School’s Center for Social Development. The development opens the door on a policy structure for channeling natural-resource wealth to invest in children and build human capital.
Can’t we all just get along?
A new book from the School of Law’s John Inazu offers a path for disagreeing productively and living joyfully in our divided society.
Pandemic course improved COVID-19 knowledge, study finds
A survey of nearly 1,000 people found Arts & Sciences’ course “The Pandemic: Science & Society” led to more accurate risk perception and stronger protective behaviors.
WashU hosts regional classics conference
The Department of Classics in Arts & Sciences will host the 120th annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, the largest regional association for professional classicists.
Preventing another ‘Jan. 6’ starts by changing how elections are certified, experts say
In a new paper published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Daniel M. Butler, in Arts & Sciences, argues that elections should be certified by nonpartisan commissions, rather than elected officials, to insulate the process from partisan influence.
‘Modern-day redlining’: Research investigates Wall Street-backed rental market
Corporate investors “buy low and rent high” to populations who can least afford it. A two-year national study, led by Carol Camp Yeakey in Arts & Sciences, will examine the impact that corporate investors have on renters, especially marginalized communities of color, in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Atlanta.
Why do we blame the victim?
In a new study published in Evolution and Human Behavior, Washington University researchers explore what causes people to decline lending a helping hand. In many cases, they find a way to blame the victim, resolving inner conflict by finding shortcomings in the person needing help, according to the research.
March Madness has less luck than you might think
This month marks the culmination of the college basketball season, when 68 teams vie to become national champion in the annual March Madness tournament. It must take a lot of luck to come out on top, right? Not as much as you might think, says a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
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