Science & Technology

Researchers in Amit Pathak’s lab at the McKelvey School of Engineering found that cells learn from past environments to promote future invasions.

Katie Westby, a vector and disease ecologist at Tyson Research Center, applies a strong DEET repellant and wears treated clothing when she’s headed deep into the woods, but uses a lighter touch at home. She warns that pet dogs and cats can also be affected by mosquito bites.

Biologists including Michael Landis in Arts & Sciences worked with researchers from dozens of countries to reconstruct the origin and global spread of butterflies. The resulting butterfly tree of life reveals that they got their start in North America.

Six exceptional undergraduates were recognized with Department of Biology awards, including a new prize named in honor of Garland Allen, who advocated for racial and gender equality in the biological sciences.

Ursula W. Goodenough, a professor emerita of biology, and William B. McKinnon, a professor of earth and planetary sciences, both in Arts & Sciences, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Election to the academy, announced May 2, is considered one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a U.S. scientist or engineer.

Richard W. (Dick) Coles, who served as the inaugural director of Tyson Research Center and also as an adjunct professor of biology for more than 25 years, died in December in Colorado. He was 83. A celebration of life for Coles is planned for 1 p.m. April 29 at Tyson Research Center in Eureka, Mo.

In “The Science of Cats,” a course for senior biology majors, WashU students use what they’ve learned about evolution, ecology and behavior to get to know one of the most popular pet animals in America.

Tropical hummingbirds use a hibernation-like state called torpor in varying ways, depending on their physical condition and what is happening in their environment, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis and Colombian biologists.

Scientists at Tyson Research Center are carefully tracking the timing of salamander breeding as part of a larger research effort examining the impacts of climate change on amphibians and plants.