Science & Technology

A team of researchers headed by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis has sequenced the genome of a unique bacterium that manages two disparate operations — photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation — in one little cell during two distinct cycles daily.

Unicellular nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteriaA team of researchers headed by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis has sequenced the genome of a unique bacterium that manages two disparate operations — photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation — in one little cell during two distinct cycles daily.

A team of researchers headed by biologists at Washington University has sequenced the genome of a unique bacterium that manages two disparate operations — photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation — in one little cell during two distinct cycles daily.

Veteran New Yorker journalist Elizabeth Kolbert will explore the debate over global warming based on her groundbreaking book “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” for the Assembly Series on Wed., Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. in Graham Chapel.

Veteran New Yorker journalist Elizabeth Kolbert visits the WUSTL campus at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Graham Chapel in the next installment of the Assembly Series. Her book, “Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” (2006) has been applauded as an unbiased overview of an urgent environmental crisis. Growing out of […]

Veteran New Yorker journalist Elizabeth Kolbert will explore the debate over global warming based on her groundbreaking book “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” for the Assembly Series on Wed., Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. in Graham Chapel.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are proposing to borrow a process used in breweries and wastewater treatment facilities to make corn ethanol more energy efficient. They are exploring the use of oxygen-less vats of microorganisms that naturally feed on organic waste produced from the ethanol fermentation process.

Physics has a reputation for being the toughest of the high school science courses. But visual models of motion, acceleration, waves, projectiles and other principles help students of all ages build an understanding of physical science concepts. For Jack Wiegers, biology instructor, and Patrick Gibbons, Ph.D., professor of physics, these ideas are a key part of science for students from kindergarten through grade 12. The pair instructs four Science Outreach graduate courses in physical science designed for K-8 teachers. They’ve also worked with high school teachers in short workshops and in year-long professional learning communities.

What should the Midwest do before and after a major earthquake?The earthquake that hit the lower Midwest on April 18 of this year was a hearty 5.2 on the Richter scale and got the attention of the St. Louis region. What if a larger quake — occurring either in the New Madrid Fault or Wabash Valley Fault — were to hit the region? How would we respond? To address these concerns, the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Structural Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is presenting a series of seminars and workshops on the topic of reducing the damage that could occur if a strong earthquake strikes the area again.

Image courtesy U.S. ArmyWUSTL’s Patrick Crowley is proposing a novel network for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to manage information better simultaneously in real-time.Patrick Crowley, a WUSTL computer architect, intends to design a new kind of network for the Department of Defense (DoD) to facilitate real-time information in the field so that every foot soldier, commander, tank and transport vehicle is networked. Crowley will use the WUSTL programmable network platform that can scale real-time information sharing over several orders of magnitude, from a handful of interconnected platforms to thousands and tens of thousands. He hopes to facilitate better information sharing in the military.