Primary voting is ‘civic duty’

Primary voting is ‘civic duty’

Want more moderate candidates in the general election? Increasing voters’ participation in primary elections is one of the most effective ways to combat hyperpartisanship, says Daniel Butler, an expert in American politics at Washington University in St. Louis.
James appointed executive director of admissions

James appointed executive director of admissions

Grace Chapin James, formerly director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, has been appointed executive director of admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Ronné Turner, vice provost for admissions and financial aid.
New center’s aim: to ID biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases

New center’s aim: to ID biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases

The Tracy Family SILQ Center for Neurodegenerative Biology has been established at the School of Medicine. The center aims to help researchers discover, study and validate biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with a goal of identifying new drug targets and creating better diagnostic and prognostic tests.
Best offense is a great defense for some carnivorous plants

Best offense is a great defense for some carnivorous plants

Insect-eating plants have fascinated biologists for more than a century, but how plants evolved the ability to capture and consume live prey has largely remained a mystery. Biologist Ivan Radin in Arts & Sciences and collaborators investigated the molecular basis of plant carnivory in sundews and found evidence that it evolved from mechanisms plants use to defend themselves.
Earth’s deep mantle was drier from the start

Earth’s deep mantle was drier from the start

Geoscientist Rita Parai in Arts & Sciences uses noble gas isotopes to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. Her new modeling study published in PNAS shows that the deep mantle had low concentrations of volatiles like xenon and water when it formed, setting up an internal viscosity contrast with lasting impacts.
New structure found in cells

New structure found in cells

A research group led by Rohit Pappu in the McKelvey School of Engineering and Anthony Hyman at the Max Planck Institute have discovered a new, relevant level of structure in cells.
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