Newsroom Stories

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.

As part of a historic effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care personnel at the School of Medicine and BJC HealthCare have begun receiving the first doses of a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

December graduate Dani Wilder is helping local students through the WashU Tutoring Initiative, a network of 130 K-12 student tutors who lead online lessons in math, science, languages and more for both typical learners and those with learning or physical disabilities. The program supports 440 families in the St. Louis region. 

Ribosomes are the machines in the cell that use instructions from mRNA to synthesize functional proteins. When something goes awry, cells monitor for ribosome collisions to determine the severity of the problem, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis biologists in Arts & Sciences.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a protein that links the amyloid-removal process to the circadian clock. The protein, YKL-40, could help explain why people with Alzheimer’s frequently suffer from sleep disturbances — and provide a new target for Alzheimer’s therapies.

The Chinese space agency announced Dec. 16 the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. Bradley L. Jolliff, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, reflects on the scientific value of the samples.

Philip V. Bayly has been named the inaugural Lee Hunter Distinguished Professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Bayly is an innovative researcher at the forefront of understanding the mechanics of brain injury and brain development.

A deep dive into federal medical data, conducted by researchers at the School of Medicine, found that COVID-19 is much deadlier and causes more health problem for patients than the seasonal flu does.

Dust-related electrochemistry can reshape Martian surface materials with physical and chemical changes observable after only hundreds of years. Similar electrical effects may be instrumental on Venus and Europa, according to new work from Alian Wang in Arts & Sciences.