Newsroom Stories

Brain tumor stem cells can resist treatment and regrow tumors, but scientists have identified a vulnerability in these cells that could lead to a new approach in battling deadly brain tumors.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011. Its spread since that time has caused refugees to spill across its borders and created a fertile environment for the rise of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). How can the international community get a handle on a conflict that already has claimed some 220,000 lives? One possible solution is to refer the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court, says Leila Sadat, PhD, an expert in international criminal law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Scientists have been itching to go to Europa for a long time because this moon is thought to have a global ocean beneath an outer shell of ice — an ocean that may be hospitable to life. In May, NASA took the first step, selecting nine instruments to fly on a mission to Europa. Washington University’s William McKinnon, on the science team for two of the instruments, talks about the mission.

Lecture-based learning can be challenging for students who have difficulties building mental models for the organization of new information, but providing them with diagrams and other supporting material in advance of the lecture can help them overcome these hurdles, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

The Affordable Care Act has great potential to improve health and health care for people with diabetes, finds a new study led by Derek Brown, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Monsanto’s proposed move to the U.K. could indicate a corporate inversion strategy. Radhakrishnan (Radha) Gopalan, PhD, associate professor of finance in the Olin Business School, takes a closer look at the numbers.

Images captured in and around the Washington University campuses.

For six consecutive nights, first-year medical student Travis CreveCoeur skipped sleep to direct and edit his class video, “First Year Funk,” a parody of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk.” CreveCoeur thinks the sacrifice was worth it. The video has been viewed 134,000 times and counting.

American Pharoah captured America’s collective heart at the Belmont Stakes this weekend, galloping his way to the first Triple Crown in 37 years. With the June 6 victory, his value is estimated at $30 million. But the winning doesn’t stop there. Patrick Rishe, PhD, director of the Sports Business Program in the Olin Business School, breaks down the future earning potential of the thoroughbred.

What is it with cheating? Cheaters seem to have an immediate advantage over cooperators, but do they have an evolutionary advantage? A study published in Current Biology suggests the benefits of cheating change with its prevalence,in a population. Cheaters may succeed, for example, only when they are rare, and fail when they become so numerous they push out cooperators.