Newsroom Stories

Bill Nye will explore how the latest scientific advancements relate to social policy at 11 a.m. September 13 in Graham Chapel as part of the Assembly Series.

Photo by Robert Boston

WUSTL ArchivesWilliam H. (Bill) Danforth, his late wife, Elizabeth (Ibby), and John C. Danforth at the 1995 Commencement. On that day — May 19 — Bill presided over his last Commencement; Ibby received an honorary doctor of humanities; and John delivered the Commencement address.In recognition of the role that Chancellor Emeritus William H. “Bill” Danforth, the late Elizabeth (Ibby) Gray Danforth, the Danforth family and the Danforth Foundation have played in the evolution of Washington University in St. Louis, the Hilltop Campus — home to six of the university’s seven schools — will be named the Danforth Campus. An official dedication ceremony will be held in Graham Chapel from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 17, when the new name takes effect. Update 9-17 8pm • Photos of the event • Audio of the event

Photo by Robert Boston

An experimental anti-cancer regimen combined a diuretic, a Parkinson’s disease medication and a drug ordinarily used to reverse the effect of sedatives. In research conducted at the School of Medicine, the unusual mixture inhibited the growth of aggressive prostate tumors in laboratory mice.

According to numerous studies, American Indian youth experience disproportionate rates of mental health and behavioral problems, including substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidal thoughts. To address this critical problem, an adolescent mental health expert at Washington University in St. Louis says that traditional healers in American Indian communities may be a valuable but under-recognized resource offering alternative and culturally relevant services that complement conventional medical treatment. More…

This issue inaugurates twice-weekly electronic distribution of the Record.

Photo courtesy USDASchaal rice one.Biologists from Washington University in St. Louis and their collaborators from Taiwan have examined the DNA sequence family tree of rice varieties and have determined that the crop was domesticated independently at least twice in various Asian locales. Jason Londo, Washington University in Arts & Sciences biology doctoral candidate, and his adviser, Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D., Washington University Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences, ran genetic tests of more than 300 types of rice, including both wild and domesticated, and found genetic markers that reveal the two major rice types grown today were first grown by humans in India and Myanmar and Thailand (Oryza sativa indica) and in areas in southern China (Oryza sativa japonica). More…

Photo courtesy NASAAmid a bevy of international space exploration missions to the Moon, the Washington University Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and ShanDong University at WeiHai (SDU at WH) in Mainland China have agreed to cooperate on scientific research and joint training of students in the two institutions. The agreement comes less than a year away from the planned launch of Chang’E-1, the Chinese lunar probe project, in April, 2007. The goals of China’s Chang’E-1 project are first to place a satellite into orbit around the Moon in 2007; then to land an unmanned vehicle on the Moon by 2010; and to collect samples of lunar soil with an unmanned vehicle by 2020. The spacecraft carries five instruments to image and measure different features of the Moon. Within two years, three additional missions from the United States, India and Japan will generate a furious flurry of data that will keep space scientists enthralled for the better part of the next decade. The Japanese Selene mission is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2007, the Indian Chandrayaan-1 in late 2007 or early 2008, and the United States’ Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for October 2008. More…

When one company restates earnings, best to see what its peers are up to.No company wants to issue an accounting restatement; it’s a guaranteed way for the share price to drop 10 percent, on average. Investors, analysts and journalists alike view restatements as an indication of a problem within the company. As it turns out, restatements indicate that there is value in looking at its industry peer firms. More…