Close encounters in the forest: western lowland gorillas
New research led by anthropologists at Washington University in St. Louis shows that encounters between gorilla groups were much more frequent, and that they had more varied social exchanges than expected. The effort is part of a long-term collaboration with the Congolese government and Wildlife Conservation Society that is changing perspectives on gorilla behavior, ecology and health.
The pandemic’s impact on older adults
Moving through a global pandemic has severely impacted every American, but maybe none more than older people. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the deleterious effects of deep-seated ageism, sexism and racism on older Americans, suggests a new paper from the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University in St. Louis.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church
A History
In this book, Dennis C. Dickerson examines the long history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and its intersection with major social movements over more than two centuries.
The Great Leap Backward
Forgetting and Representing the Mao Years
It is now forty years after Mao Zedong’s death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, and more than fifty years since the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine. During this time, the collective memory of these events has been sanitized, reduced to a much-diluted version of what truly took place. Historical and sociological […]
WashU Expert: Decrease in abuse hotline calls not a good sign
Child abuse and neglect hotlines around the country are reporting declines in calls over the last few weeks. While normally this would be welcome news, it does not bode well during stay-at-home orders, says an expert on child abuse and neglect at Washington University in St. Louis.
WashU Expert: What tax refunds tell us about use of CARES payments
A $2 trillion, bipartisan relief package was signed into law on March 27 to address economic downfall fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it help? Research examining how households use similar payouts, like the tax refund, can help shed light on what households might do next, says an expert on asset building at Washington University’s Brown School.
Martin to launch humanities program for promising local students
Lerone A. Martin, associate professor of religion and politics and incoming director of the American Culture Studies program in Arts & Sciences, received a $250,000 grant from The Teagle Foundation to develop and implement a summer humanities program for promising, underserved high school students from the St. Louis region.
Fossil discoveries rewrite our family history
An international team of researchers that includes anthropologists at Washington University in St. Louis has unearthed the earliest known skull of Homo erectus, the first of our ancestors to be nearly human-like in their anatomy and aspects of their behavior. The effort was led by La Trobe University in Australia.
WashU Experts: Coronavirus fact vs. fiction
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the nation, a number of false conclusions and rumors have spread with it. Three epidemiologists in public health at Washington University in St. Louis separate the truth from myth.
WashU Expert: Grieving in the time of a pandemic
At a time when the world is focused on a global health pandemic, Brian Carpenter, a professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, says it may be difficult to grieve for and memorialize an individual. But we must.
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