Newsroom Stories

Thursday, May 20 The School of Medicine is hosting a reception for graduates and their families and guests from 5-7 p.m. May 20 in the Atrium/Hearth of the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC). The FLTC is located on the School of Medicine campus at 520 S. Euclid. Surface parking is available on McKinley Avenue […]

Marxism in China, taboo images in Tibet and war, sex work and memory in 20th century Japan will be among topics discussed as Washington University welcomes the 56th Annual Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA) to St. Louis, Oct, 19-21. Program includes pre-conference workshop for K-12 teachers on Oct. 13

David Kilper/WUSTL PhotoOlsen is studying the genetics of two types of clover to determine why one type is cyanogenic (toxic) and the other is not.That clover necklace you make for your child could well be a ring of poison. That’s because some clovers have evolved genes that help the plant produce cyanide — to protect itself against little herbivores, such as snails, slugs and voles, that eat clover. Other clover plants that do not make cyanide are found in climates with colder temperatures. So, in picking your poison, er, clover, ecology and geography play important roles. A plant evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St. Louis is trying to get to the bottom of this botanical cloak and dagger tale.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo(L-R) Larry Taber, postdoctoral researcher Gang Xu and Philip Bayly examine brain and heart cells to learn something of the mechanics involved in brain folding.Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are finding common ground between the shaping of the brain and the heart during embryonic development. Larry A.Taber, Ph.D., the Dennis and Barbara Kessler Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Phillip Bayly, Ph.D., Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering, are examining mechanical and developmental processes that occur in the folding of the brain’s surface, or cortex, which gives the higher mammalian brain more surface area (and hence more intellectual capacity) than a brain of comparable volume with a smooth surface.

Dean Larry Shapiro spoke recently to School of Medicine staff about new initiatives underway at the institution and future plans. He outlined multidisciplinary research collaborations among scientists to investigate the causes of illness, including neurological disorders, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

More lane closures are scheduled the week of Oct. 1.

Six WUSTL freshmen had the opportunity to enjoy lunch Sept. 19 at the Whittemore House with Alan Lightman (back row, right), author of the 2007 Freshman Reading Program book, “Einstein’s Dreams.”

A team of researchers, including Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, has determined through analysis of early hominin fossils in eastern Europe that the first human ancestors to inhabit Eurasia were more primitive than previously thought.

Zarqa Nawaz knows something about crossing cultures. Born in England to Pakistani immigrants, raised in Toronto and now living in Saskatchewan, the Muslim writer, producer and filmmaker will give the annual Olin Fellows lecture at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Graham Chapel. The talk is free and open to the public. A panel discussion featuring Nawaz as well as other panelists will continue the discussion from 2-4 p.m. in the Women’s Building Lounge.

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