Newsroom Stories

Genetically speaking, what distinguishes a man from a mouse? U.S. and European scientists provide the answer in this week’s PLoS Biology. They have described the finished genome sequence of the mouse, which, after the human, is only the second mammal to have its complete genome decoded.

A flurry of recent research has documented that talking on a cell phone poses a dangerous distraction for drivers and others whose attention should be focused elsewhere. Now, a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds that just the ring of a cell phone may be equally distracting, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone.

Recession-related pressures on supply chain management will be the topic of the first industry conference sponsored by the Boeing Center for Technology, Information and Management (BCTIM) at the Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, Wednesday, June 3, 2009.

Sawyer Want to take your children somewhere fun and educational this summer but money is tight? No problem, says a children’s play expert at Washington University in St. Louis. Your answer might even be as close as your own backyard. Video available.

EdmundowiczA procedure that uses heat generated by radio waves to treat Barrett’s esophagus, a condition caused by acid reflux (severe heartburn), can eliminate signs of the potentially cancer-causing disorder and reduce the risk that the disease will progress.

Similar to a pacemaker, the iPod-sized device is implanted under the skin near the collarbone.Some 15 million Americans have high blood pressure that can’t be controlled with medication, leaving them at high risk for early death, stroke, heart disease or kidney failure. Researchers at the School of Medicine are evaluating whether an investigational device can help these patients keep their blood pressure in check.

The School of Medicine Commencement Recognition Ceremony May 15 at the Ferrara Theater at America’s Center recognized the academic achievements of 109 students: 80 students earned the doctor of medicine degree; 16 earned a dual doctor of medicine/doctor of philosophy degree (M.D./Ph.D.); and 13 earned the doctor of medicine/master of arts degree (M.D./M.A). Michael V. Drake, M.D., chancellor of University of California-Irvine, spoke at the ceremony about “The Privilege of Practice.”

Targeted therapies for endometrial cancer, the fourth most common cancer of U.S. women, have lagged behind that of many other cancers, say researchers at the School of Medicine. But the researchers have taken an important step toward changing that by identifying a genetic marker for high-risk endometrial cancer, opening the door for more directed and risk-appropriate treatments.

Women of childbearing age can reduce the risk of having a child born with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida by eating enough folate or folic acid. However, folate prevents only about 70 percent of these defects. New research using mice at the School of Medicine confirms the importance of another nutrient, inositol, to protect against the development of neural tube defects.

Landscape in pine plantation forest.Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, along with collaborators at three other universities, have discovered that the biodiversity in a patch of habitat can extend outside the borders of a protected area; this effect is magnified when corridors — skinny strips of land — connect the habitats. Their findings, reported in this week’s online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide a strategy for managing nature preserves to maximize biodiversity in the small spaces that are already formally protected.