Newsroom Stories

Photo by Joe AngelesStephanie Gallitano, a junior chemistry student in Arts & Sciences, works with postdoctoral researcher James Vonesh at the University’s Tyson Research Center.”It was pretty thrilling to discover it,” says Stephanie Gallitano, who performed 12 weeks of research this summer.

Literally translated as “evening of song,” Liederabend is a German term referring to a recital given by a singer and pianist.

Physicians from 33 sites in the United States and Canada participated in the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial.

Cell phone radiation doesn’t stress human cells.Weighing in on the debate about whether cell phones have adverse health effects, researchers at the School of Medicine have found that the electromagnetic radiation produced by cell phones does not activate the stress response in mouse, hamster or human cells growing in cultures. High levels of the stress response are thought to result in changes associated with malignancy.

In the 21st century, the key to remaining competitive with China, India, and the rest of the world will be innovation, a national core competency that will play a critical role in the battle to preserve the American Dream. This view is the subject of a forthcoming book, written by Kenneth Harrington, managing director of the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and Robert Skandalaris, founder and chairman of Noble International Ltd. While America was built by entrepreneurs, and continues its stronghold on innovation, the co-authors contend that it is no longer a forgone conclusion that America will lead the world in innovation.

Anthropologists uncover new theory on hunter-gatherer communities at one of North America’s largest, oldest earthen mounds, in northeastern Louisiana.The typical picture of the hunter-gatherer community is that of a small number of people wandering across the landscape, hunting for food and gathering nuts and berries. They were not complex in their political and social organization and were thought of as very simple people. But could that traditional viewpoint be completely wrong? An anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis thinks it may be, especially for hunter-gatherer communities in Southern and Eastern parts of the United States.

Photo by David Kilper / WUSTL PhotoScott (left) and Elbert looking for sticky proteins.Biomedical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new role for the blood protein serum amyloid P in the body’s response to medical materials, which may help to explain a variety of problems associated with heart-lung bypass, hemodialysis and the use of artificial vascular grafts. Donald Elbert, Ph.D., Washington University assistant professor of biomedical engineering, used advanced protein separations and mass spectrometry to track the proteins on the surfaces of various polymers used in medical devices. The analysis techniques, collectively called ‘proteomics,’ are most often used to study protein expression in cells.

Preventing Type 2 diabetes among African-American womenWhile culturally traditional foods are a big part of the African-American heritage, they also are a significant factor in the type 2 diabetes epidemic among African-American women. And while the prevalance of type 2 diabetes is associated with higher rates of obesity, diabetes nutrition education programs have been relatively unsuccessful in attracting and retaining African-American women. However a new study shows that there is a way to reach members of this population and make a positive impact on their dietary behavior.

Soumen Rakennustaiteen Museo (SRM)McDonald’s-Finland Headquarters in HelsinkiHas corporate architecture doomed the city? Over the last century, corporate headquarters — as well as churches, universities and government institutions — have been pillars of the urban environment, embodying the culture, values and aspirations of their societies. Yet today’s corporations — competing in global, open-market economies; distanced and disassociated from the means of production — have increasingly situated themselves on the suburban periphery, replacing civic engagement with simple displays of technological prowess. As a result, “corporations must be seen as potential ‘dissolving agents’ of the cities in which they have chosen to locate,” argues Peter MacKeith, associate director of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also serves as associate dean of Architecture.

In vitro fertilization can cost anywhere from $10,000 – $15,000 for each round of treatments. This means access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is generally limited to a relatively small portion of couples that seek it. Several state governments have turned to public policy in an attempt to make access to ART more widely available. But two professors from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis find that market competition can be as effective at expanding access as requiring insurance companies to cover infertility treatments. At the same time, competition appears to lower the rate of high-risk births and encourages the use of new technologies.