Science & Technology

The downstream consequences of religion, politics and war can have far-reaching effects on the environment and on the evolutionary processes affecting urban organisms, according to a new analysis from Washington University in St. Louis.

James Friend, of the University of California, San Diego, has been named chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science in the McKelvey School of Engineering. His appointment will begin in 2026.

An interdisciplinary research team at Washington University in St. Louis has found that variability in sleep patterns in people experiencing pregnancy can effectively predict preterm birth.

Biologist Keith Hengen in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis says “criticality” is the key to understanding how the brain works — and how to keep it free from Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

John Gleaves, a professor emeritus at the McKelvey School of Engineering, died June 2. He was 79.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are using machine learning to better predict who will experience persistent pain after surgery.

Before venturing out into the woods, a nearby park or even your backyard, keep an eye out for mosquitoes and ticks, which can be vectors, or carriers, for pathogens that can cause disease. Scientists at WashU’s Tyson Research Center explain the risks and how to stay safe.

Zhen He, an environmental engineer at WashU, received the 2025 Frederick George Pohland Medal from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

To help understand air pollution health effects, researchers in St. Louis quantified how the amount of submicron particles in the air has changed over the past 25 years.

Kevin Cox, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, received the 2025 Eric E. Conn Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists.