Humanities & Society

Unraveling the mysteries of the human brain, and the mind it gives rise to, is within the reach of modern science, suggests a forthcoming issue of the journal Neuroscience. The special issue explores how sophisticated working memory processes — from the firing of a single neuron to the activation of multiple brain regions — help shape our understanding of the world, says issue co-editor Grega Repovs, a visiting post-doctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. More…

David Kilper / WUSTL PhotoThreat of injunctions can be beneficial in cases like eBay and BlackBerry, says WUSTL expert F. Scott Kieff.The threat of an injunction to protect patented technology, as seen in eBay v. MercExchange, is what drives infringers and patentees to strike deals — sometimes on the steps of the courthouse — because shutting down the business would lose money for both sides, says F. Scott Kieff, J.D., an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. These deals, he points out, are what drive innovation. More…

Current levels of defense spending represent less than 5 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), says Murray Weidenbaum, the Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He says that the cost of today’s war pales in comparison to military outlays of about 35 percent of GDP at the peak of World War II; 15 percent of GDP for the Korean War; 10 percent for Vietnam and 6 percent for the Gulf War. More…

African-American entrepreneur Earl G. “Butch” Graves, Jr. will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5th in Graham Chapel. The lecture, titled “The Media History and Portrayal of Black America,” is free and open to the public. Graves is the chief operating officer and president of the Earl G. Graves Publishing Company, publisher of Black Enterprise magazine.

A team of researchers at the School of Medicine is studying how fatty liver disease affects sugar and fat metabolism in overweight adolescents and how losing weight affects the condition. In the last 30 years, the number of overweight children has doubled in the United States, and overweight children are at increased risk for the problem.

Below is a link to the Washington University news release about the U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings for 2004-05: http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/3627.html To view a full listing of U.S. News magazine, book and Web-only rankings for 2004-05, please visit the U.S. News & World Report site: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

He joined the magazine in 1988 as the vice president of advertising and marketing and has worked to transform the company into a multimedia conglomerate.

Winnebago Tribe member John Snowball performs during last year’s powwow.An American Indian powwow, traditional cuisine, storytelling, music and crafts will be among the highlights of the University’s American Indian Awareness Week April 4-9. The annual awareness week and powwow allow the University’s American Indian students to share their unique cultures with the rest of the campus and the St. Louis community. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

How unhealthy is fat?The consequences of a fatty diet may vary depending on whom you ask. A recent study concluded that reducing fat intake doesn’t necessarily reduce a woman’s risk for certain types of cancer, but WUSM lipid researcher Anne Goldberg contends that only a lengthier study could produce reliable results regarding fat’s effects on cancer risk.

Thursday, March 30 at 5 p.m., the finalists will be announced for the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, co-sponsored by Washington University and the YouthBridge Association. The event features Theresa Wilson, founder of The Blessing Basket, as a keynote speaker. Currently there are 14 semi-finalists. The finalists will be selected based on their two-minute presenations about their projects. The event takes place in May Auditorium in Simon Hall on the Washington University Hilltop Campus.