Newsroom Stories

Fireflies use oscillation to communicate on the same wavelength. An engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new waveform that can control chemical oscillation in the lab. This finding could lead to better understanding of oscillation as it pertains to heart pacemakers, the brain’s neural patterns and even jet lag.

Patients with a rare, genetic form of diabetes often are misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes because the two share symptoms. But new research at the School of Medicine suggests that treating such patients with therapies designed for type 2 diabetes is potentially harmful and guidelines need to change.

President Barack Obama’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland, could make Senate Republicans think twice about stonewalling the nomination process, especially as the presidential election nears, said Greg Magarian, constitutional law expert at the School of Law.

The American health care system must do a better job of systematically detecting and treating mental health problems within outpatient primary care clinics, especially those that serve vulnerable populations, finds a study led by Darrell Hudson, assistant professor at the Brown School.

Nichole Mercier has been appointed managing director of the Office of Technology Management, effective May 1, according to Dedric Carter, who recently was named vice chancellor for operations and technology transfer.

While cynics may scoff at the United Nations’ March 20 observance of International Happiness Day, a positive psychology researcher at Washington University in St. Louis says it’s high time for happiness to be taken seriously.

New research at the School of Medicine indicates that initial levels of omega-3 fatty acids in a heart patient’s blood have a significant impact on whether that person will respond to omega-3 supplements to treat depression.

Washington University will pay homage to former student Tennessee Williams with a “Tennessee Williams Birthday Bash” at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a screening, in 35mm, of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

Resident dance company The Slaughter Project will present “Caravan,” its 2016 showcase concert, March 25 and 26 in Edison Theatre.

Our experience of the world differs radically from one person to another. Some people are plant blind and others recognize plants at a glance. Some are not aware of the background music at the grocery store and others know which piece it is and who is playing it. And most of us walk blindly through the campus quadrangles seeing only one another, but a few of us see the other creatures as well, such as the songbirds that are resting for a day or two before resuming their migrations.