Newsroom Stories

The Washington University Symphony Orchestra, with student soloist Silas Hsu, will present early, reputation-making works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jean Sibelius and Edvard Grieg at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center.

The DNA of bacteria that live in the body can pass a trait to offspring in a way similar to the parents’ own DNA, a new mouse study suggests. According to the authors, the discovery means scientists need to consider a significant new factor – microbial DNA– in their efforts to understand how genes influence illness and health.

Authored by Anjan Thakor, PhD, the John E. Simon Professor of Finance at Olin Business School, “International Financial Markets: A Diverse System is the Key to Commerce” provides a broad overview of the global financial system and how it supports economic growth, facilitates global trade and creates opportunities for companies, entrepreneurs and individuals.

Ampersand Week, the first weeklong celebration of the liberal arts at Washington University in St. Louis Feb. 21-28, includes a presentation by the popular duo known as Radiolab. Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich will appear at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus for the Assembly Series. The program is free and open to the public but tickets are required.

Rochelle Smith, director of diversity, summer programs and community outreach for the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), has been appointed assistant provost of diversity initiatives at Washington University in St. Louis. She will continue to serve in her role in DBBS.

Beavers don’t brush their teeth, and they don’t drink fluoridated water, but a new study reports beavers do have protection against tooth decay built into the chemical structure of their teeth: iron. The research team, which was led by scientists from Northwestern University, included Jill D. Pasteris, PhD, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences.

More rural Americans are signing up for Medicare Advantage despite reductions in payments, according to new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Extra benefits may be among the likely reasons, says study co-author Timothy McBride, PhD, professor at the Brown School.

While measles and the human papillomavirus (HPV) are vastly different diseases, failing to get vaccinated against them can have equally serious consequences, suggests Bradley Stoner, PhD, a medical anthropologist who studies infectious disease transmission at Washington University in St. Louis.

The killing is not in doubt: A black man is dead; a white man pulled the trigger. The only real question is why. James Baldwin wrote “Blues for Mr. Charlie”  in 1964. But today, the echoes of Ferguson are impossible to ignore. The production of the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis runs Feb. 20 through March 1 in Edison Theatre.

It’s been more than 40 years since astronauts returned the last Apollo samples from the moon, and since then those samples have undergone some of the most extensive and comprehensive analysis of any geological collection. A team of scientists has now refined the timeline of meteorite impacts on the moon through a pioneering application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo 17 samples.