Newsroom Stories

Animal milk was essential to east African herders at least 5,000 years ago, according to a new study that uncovers the consumption habits in what is now Kenya and Tanzania — and sheds a light on human evolution, according to new research from anthropologists from Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering spent two weeks in India cooking with local residents. They found that soot wasn’t the only worrisome byproduct of traditional cookstoves; organic carbons are causing problems, too.

A $2 trillion, bipartisan relief package was signed into law on March 27 to address economic downfall fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it help? Research examining how households use similar payouts, like the tax refund, can help shed light on what households might do next, says an expert on asset building at Washington University’s Brown School.

In business, simple loyalty programs can strongly increase customer retention, Washington University in St. Louis researchers have found. These Olin Business School scientists studied a loyalty program at a chain of men’s hair salons, collecting data on more than 5,500 customers. Under the program, for every $100 a customer spends, he gets a $5-off coupon.

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting March 6, several faculty members were appointed, promoted or granted tenure, effective July 1 unless otherwise indicated.

In the video series “WashU Between the Lines,″ students share honest, personal stories about their lives on campus. Students Shelly Gupta and Rory Mather, both subjects and co-creators of the series, hope the project will encourage students to get to know each other, as we say at Washington University, by name and by story. And not just the stories posted on Instagram or Facebook.

Washington University School of Medicine is launching a clinical trial for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The study will investigate whether two different antimalarial drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, alone or in combination with a common antibiotic is effective in treating COVID-19 patients.

A research team led by Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor and professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was awarded $1.2 million for a CRISPR-based gene editing study of Central American lizards.

As Washington University in St. Louis researchers and physicians join the fight to halt COVID-19 proliferation across the globe, our staff, students and doctors are working tirelessly to care for the St. Louis community we call home. 

Washington University in St. Louis now offers a major in environmental analysis though the Environmental Studies program in Arts & Sciences. The major is a response to the global demand for environmental and sustainability experts who can think critically, communicate clearly and solve problems in collaboration with their communities.