Newsroom Stories

Why is it so hard for some people to resist the least little temptation, while others seem to possess incredible patience, passing up immediate gratification for a greater long-term good? The answer, suggests a new study from Washington University in St. Louis, is that patient people focus on future rewards in a way that makes the waiting process seem much more pleasurable.

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration shares a common link with atherosclerosis. Both problems have the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol.

As the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) conclude, it looks like the justices are ready to strike down the law, says Gregory P. Magarian, JD, constitutional law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “The crucial thing about this case is that the Court can strike down DOMA without impacting the right or lack thereof of someone to marry,” he says.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is playing a leading role in one of the National Institutes of Health’s first clinical trials to improve treatments for rare and neglected diseases. In this case, the disease is Niemann-Pick Type C, a disorder that causes excess cholesterol to accumulate in the brain, liver and spleen. It affects about 500 children worldwide, leads to neurodegeneration, and usually causes death in the first two decades of life.

Linda Babcock, co-author of “Women Don’t Ask: Negotiations and the Gender Divide,” will discuss that topic during a public lecture at 9 a.m. April 12 in Simon Hall, Room 106. The lecture is part of the “Distinguished Women in Economics and Strategy” series sponsored by WUSTL’s Center for Research in Economics and Strategy, housed in Olin Business School.

Despite a snow storm, students came out for Hoops Day March 24, sponsored by Thurtene Junior Honorary, a lead-up event to the annual carnival. Organizers offered a youth basketball clinic and a 3-on-3 tournament at the Athletic Complex.

A recent display showcased photos taken by participants of the Photovoice project hosted by Siteman Cancer Center’s Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities. Participants used photos to remind people of the need for colon cancer screenings. Pictured is participant Ronald Rancher and the photo he submitted.

Surveillance is everywhere, from street corner cameras to the subject of books and movies. “We talk a lot about why surveillance is bad, but we don’t really know why,” says Neil Richards, JD, privacy law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “We only have a vague intuition about it, which is why courts don’t protect it. We know we don’t like it, and that it has something to do with privacy, but beyond that, the details can be fuzzy.” Richards’ new article on the topic, “The Danger of Surveillance,” will be published in the next issue of the Harvard Law Review.

A group of some of the country’s top scholars in First Amendment law recently gathered at Washington University in St. Louis to discuss pressing challenges being faced by the first of our Bill of Rights. Three issues rose to the top of the list for Washington University’s first amendment experts: free expression in a digital age; impaired political debate; and weakened rights of groups.

During a recent reception to mark the beginning of the Loop Student Living Initiative’s construction phase, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton thanked University City and City of St. Louis government officials, business owners and residents for their role in the project’s progression. The celebration was held at the Three Kings Public House on Delmar Boulevard, which is in the same block as the construction.