Science & Technology

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a one-parameter measure that makes selecting the correct electrolyte for potassium-air batteries an exercise in rationality, rather than patience.

Even in the strange world of open quantum systems, the arrow of time points steadily forward — most of the time. A video details new experiments conducted at Washington University in St. Louis that compare the forward and reverse trajectories of superconducting circuits called qubits, and find that they largely tend to follow the second law of thermodynamics. The research is published July 9 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

As ecosystem engineers, bison have been hiding in plain sight for the past 40 years, since archaeologists first discovered that several native plants were domesticated in eastern North America. New research by Natalie Mueller, assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, explains the connection, published July 8 in Nature Plants.

New research from Washington University in St. Louis provides compelling evidence that magmas may be wetter than once thought. The work led by experimental geochemists including Michael J. Krawczynski in Arts & Sciences is published in the July 2 issue of the journal American Mineralogist.

Research from the McKelvey School of Engineering suggests that without considering certain factors, researchers may overestimate how fast calcium carbonate forms in saline environments.

A team involving a doctor and five undergraduate students – three from the McKelvey School of Engineering – recently took first place in the 2019 Discovery Competition.

Dropwise condensation on liquid infused surfaces presented a mystery: what’s causing the movement of water droplets? Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering have found the answer.

Physicists studying the brain at Washington University in St. Louis have shown how measuring signals from a single neuron may be as good as capturing information from many neurons at once using big, expensive arrays of electrodes. The new work continues the discussion about how the brain seems to function in a “critical” state. The research was reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.

New research by biologists in Arts & Sciences reveals the molecular machinery behind the high-intensity sweetness of the stevia plant. The results could be used to engineer new non-caloric products without the aftertaste that many associate with the sweetener marketed as Stevia.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis will now be able to more rapidly study cilia and their dysfunctions thanks to an “acoustic trap” that holds cilia in place without damaging them.