Newsroom Stories

In his third book, Howard Brick attempts to answer the specifically historical question of how to understand the debate among American (and European) social theorists in the middle of the 20th century on how significantly the modern “welfare state” had altered the character of capitalist economies since the 19th century. More…

Pianos from the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences are on sale via private appointment and at a public sale from noon-5 p.m. March 18 in Blewett Hall.

The following incidents were reported to University Police March 1-7. Readers with information that could assist in investigating these incidents are urged to call 935-5555. This information is provided as a public service to promote safety awareness and is available on the University Police Web site at police.wustl.edu. March 4 10:30 a.m. — Subjects unknown broke a window on complainant’s vehicle, which was parked on the paved lot at the corner of Hoyt Avenue and Throop Drive, to steal items located therein. The theft occurred between 5:30 p.m. March 2 and 10:29 a.m. March 4. Total loss is estimated at $130. 1:52 p.m. — The victim was showing a potential buyer a vehicle. While test-driving the vehicle, the “buyer” stole same. A theft report was filed with the St. Louis City Police Department. 2:07 p.m. — The complainant reported the theft of eight microphones from The Gargoyle. Theft occurred between Nov. 15-Feb. 27. Total loss is estimated at #1,390. University Police also responded to one report each of larceny, trespassing, arrest warrant and property damage.

Spalding GraySpalding Gray was one of the most influential solo performers of his generation and his suicide, in January 2004, shocked the theater world. In March, Edison Theatre will present Stories Left to Tell, a tribute to Gray created by his widow, Kathleen Russo, and the director Lucy Sexton. The evening combines excerpts from his famous solo shows with a range of previously unreleased material. Performers include Rockwell Gray, Spalding’s brother, as well as three contemporary monologists — Jonathan Ames, Reno and Carmelita Tropicana — and the musician Calvin Johnson.

Doctors at the School of Medicine are collaborating to find treatments and cures for neurological disorders that affect millions of Americans. A cluster of labs known as the Hope Center has grown from a partnership between the School of Medicine and Hope Happens.

Imrat KhanWorld-renowned sitar player Imrat Khan, a distinguished artist-in-residence in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, will be joined by virtuoso tabla player Samir Chatterjee for a concert of Indian classical music at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 25. Khan, the senior-most member of the famous Etawa Gharana (musical dynasty), is widely recognized as one of the giants of Indian classical music, celebrated for his virtuosity, musicality and inventive wit.

A compound that halts nerve cell activity when exposed to light glows in this image of two nerve cells.Brain activity has been compared to a light bulb turning on in the head. Scientists at the School of Medicine have reversed this notion, creating a drug that stops brain activity when a light shines on it. The new compound activates the same receptor used by many anesthetics and tranquilizers, making it harder for a brain cell to respond to stimulation. The drug may some day be used to treat epilepsy.

An-Chun Chien Wei-Jen Chua Vikram Govindan Ta-Chih Hsiao Ryotaro Kato Woosung Kim Zhou Li Qing Nian Hong Min Park Hyun Cheol Roh Manoranjan Sahu Yuanming Shan Karavikar Svetasreni Yanjiao Xie Juanyi Yu Ziyan Zhang Chuanzhen Zhou Ming Zu

Scientists have known for years that the energy cost of walking and running is related primarily to the work done by muscles to lift and move the limbs. But how much energy does it actually take to get around? Does having longer legs really make a difference? Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical anthropology in Arts & Sciences, has developed a mathematical model for calculating energy costs for two and four-legged animals. His research was published in a recent issue of The Journal of Experimental Biology.

Robert Osburn (yellow helmet, recording and sketching) and WUSTL graduate student Jenny Lippmann (measuring and doing compass readings) conducting the cave survey in a small passage of 23 degree cave in Crawford County, Missouri.The Caves of St. Louis County and the Bridges of Madison County share a common theme: loss. The former, a scholarly paper that appears as the sole entry of the current issue of Missouri Speleology, is a description of some of St. Louis County’s 127 known caves and a warning that development over the past two centuries has eliminated or destroyed many caves in a state that could quite rightly call itself the Cave State. The latter is a tear-jerking novel, made into a movie by Clint Eastwood about a doomed, unlikely love affair, a hallmark of the ’90s with all the permanence of the Backstreet Boys. Caves, though, are in trouble, in St. Louis County, Missouri, and elsewhere, says co-author Robert Criss, Ph.D., professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.