Newsroom Stories

Where have you gone, Joe Neandertal?The human fossil evidence from the Mladec Caves in Moravia, Czech Republic, excavated more than 100 years ago, has been proven for the first time, through modern radiocarbon dating, to be the oldest cranial, dental and postcranial assemblage of early modern humans in Europe. A team of researchers from the Natural History Museum in Vienna, from the University of Vienna in Austria and from Washington University in St. Louis recently conducted the first successful direct dating of the material.

U.S. Army photoThe battles don’t end with the war for some soldiers.More than a decade after the first Gulf War in 1991, a detailed comparison of the health of veterans who were deployed to the Persian Gulf region and veterans who served elsewhere has found that the health of the two groups is very similar. However, the study also found that Gulf War veterans are more likely to have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome.

Whether you follow arguments for or against President Bush’s plan for having private accounts in Social Security, there is one benefit to Bush’s plan that is difficult to dispute: private accounts would increase activity in the stock market. The more investors in the market, the stronger the market and — ultimately — the stronger the economy. Currently, however, the market is relatively weak and will probably stay weak considering the rate at which public companies have been delisting from the market in the past five years. A professor at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis has studied the trend of public companies turning private and finds that one factor that could ebb the exodus is strengthening the market through more investor participation.

As Americans celebrate independence this July 4, they may wish to consider the plight of another democracy – one that is young and struggling and whose continued success could have a dramatic impact on the world economy, the price of gasoline and other critical U.S. interests. James V. Wertsch, director of International and Area Studies at Washington University in St. Louis suggests that America needs to pay attention to developments in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia for its own sake, and for the sake of the rest of the world.

BraceyMichael Jackson’s defense team came out strong in the final phase of the dramatic trial, according to Christopher Bracey, criminal procedure expert and associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “The defense was effective in giving the jurors good reason to be skeptical of the prosecution’s case. No one can predict with any degree of accuracy what the jury will decide. But based upon the evidentiary phase of this trial, an acquittal certainly seems more likely than a conviction.” While the jury reviews the case, Bracey is available to comment on the trial process; how Jackson’s celebrity status will shape the jury’s consideration of evidence; and the verdict.

Every week you see it: the local supermarket’s specials include a discount on Brand X tuna fish. Common knowledge assumes that a sale on tuna fish will induce more people to buy Brand X, which boosts profits for both the manufacturer and the grocery store. However, a recent study by professors in the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis has found that discounts are not always in the best interest of the retailer or manufacturer. In fact, some promotions may end up hurting future profitability.

Atrial fibrillation, one of the most common and least manageable postoperative complications of heart surgery, may soon have an effective treatment.

Hip fractures are among the most common bone breaks for adults over the age of 65. These injuries can render previously active adults severely disabled. Recovery from a hip fracture can be long and strenuous. That’s why doctors at the School of Medicine are studying the effects of hormone therapy on hip fracture patients.

The compound eye of a fruit fly (left) and a micrograph of the cells that make up the eyeThe laws of physics combine with the mutual attraction of two proteins to create the honeycomb pattern of fruit fly eyes, say molecular biologists at the School of Medicine. This same combination of forces forms the delicate filtering structures of the mammalian kidney.

School of Medicine researchers are testing ginseng, an ancient Asian herbal medicine, to see if it can help prevent diabetes in overweight adults. Read more about the study in this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.