Perspectives

Joshua Swamidass, PhD, MD, of the School of Medicine, co-authored a book review featured in Science of the book “Darwin Devolves,” arguing the book seeks “to overturn modern evolutionary theory.”

Rebecca Copeland and Laura Miller, of Arts & Sciences, are co-editors of the book “Diva Nation: Female Icons from Japanese Cultural History” (University of California Press). In this episode of the “Hold That Thought” podcast, the two discuss queens, goddesses and what makes a diva.

William F. Tate, dean of the Graduate School at Washington University, writes an op-ed for Diverse Issues in Higher Education about how the use of mathematics, and particularly algorithms, in decision-making for areas as varied as food stamps, criminal justice and voting districts can result in harm to certain people or groups.

Historian Douglas Flowe, of Arts & Sciences, discusses his book project on black men and criminality, “Tell the Whole White World,” in an interview on the Center for the Humanities website. Flowe worked on his book during his time as a faculty fellow at the center.

Angela Miller, professor of art history and archaeology in Arts & Sciences, edited “Arthur Osver: Urban Landscape, Abstraction, and the Mystique of Place,” the first monograph on the work of the American painter. Osver was a professor of art at Washington University for 21 years. The book is featured on The Source’s Bookshelf.

Steven Webster, a postdoctoral fellow at the Weidenbaum Center, co-writes an analysis piece in The Washington Post about his recent research finding that Americans have little empathy for those who hold opposing political views, particularly on the topic of climate change.

When it launched in 2004, NASA expected the Mars Opportunity rover to last for 92 days. Last week marked its 15th anniversary. Raymond Arvidson, of Arts & Sciences, is deputy principal investigator for the rover. He told HEC-TV that NASA never imagined Opportunity could last for more than a few months on the red planet.

Geoff Ward, associate chair of African and African-American studies in Arts & Sciences, discusses both the history and the future of such programs, as well as his work on the legacies of racial violence, in The Ampersand.

Joshua Rubin, MD, PhD, professor at the School of Medicine, writes an article for The Conversation about recent brain tumor research finding that male and female patients respond differently to treatments for glioblastoma and what that means for future care.

Peter Boumgarden, professor of practice at Olin Business School, and Andrew Schuette, an audiologist at the School of Medicine and a PMBA candidate at Olin, write an op-ed in Stat about the debate over the future of the nation’s health-care system and the need for all sides to consider other points of view.