Newsroom Stories

New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals the core structure of the light-harvesting antenna of cyanobacteria — including features that both collect energy and block excess light absorption. Orange carotenoid protein plays a key protective role, according to Haijun Liu, research scientist in chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

To celebrate 2020 seems absurd, even wrong — and yet, perhaps necessary. In 2020, members of the Washington University in St. Louis community made new discoveries and friendships; accomplished incredible feats in teaching and learning; welcomed amazing new students; and said goodbye to one of the greatest leaders in university history. 

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that there is no benefit in providing supplemental oxygen to mothers during labor and delivery, a decades-long and common practice. Infants born to women who received supplemental oxygen fared no better or no worse than those born to women who had similar labor experiences but breathed room air.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have shown that Chiari 1 malformation can be caused by variations in two genes linked to brain development and that children with large heads are at increased risk of developing the condition.

How will this year’s celebrations be remembered? The answer will be “differently than normal” for some individuals, but collective memory for the pandemic itself is likely to fade quickly for most people.

An interdisciplinary team led by faculty at the McKelvey School of Engineering has developed a model to help navigate the delicate line between maintaining the economy and limiting the spread and mortality rate of COVID-19.

As part of the new $900 billion federal stimulus package, the moratorium on evictions for renters will be extended by one month, through the end of January. The help could not come soon enough, says an expert on social and economic development at the Brown School. However, without more intentional, long-term solutions and investments, this aid will only postpone an inevitable housing crisis.

Researchers at the Brown School are conducting discussion groups with parents and staff in the Special School District of St. Louis County to develop communication tools surrounding COVID-19 testing and vaccination. The research is funded by a two-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to offer 50,000 saliva tests to students, teachers and staff in the six special education schools operated by the district.

A van gleams darkly in the seedy neon of 1970s Times Square. Taxis queue for gas amidst a global oil crisis. In “The Autonomous Future of Mobility,” the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis explores how car culture shapes American cities, energy consumption and popular notions of freedom and independence.

After months of failed negotiations that have left many Americans, businesses and the economy in the lurch, lawmakers are scrambling to reach a deal on an economic stimulus plan that could top $900 billion. If Congress passes the deal, will it do enough to help struggling Americans and businesses stay afloat? To answer that question, three business and economics experts at Washington University in St. Louis shared their thoughts on the proposed plan, what lawmakers got right, what is missing and what ticking time bombs remain.