A silly pat on the head helps seniors remember daily med, study suggests

Photo by Janet GumpertRemembering to take daily medications can be a challenge, but new research offers tips for strengthening those memories.Doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they’ve already taken their daily medications, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers team up to battle childhood hunger

WUSM physician Mark Manary poses with a child in Malawi.A St. Louis-based team of plant and physician-scientists with a vision of eradicating malnutrition throughout the developing world today announced the formation of the Global Harvest Alliance (GHA), a humanitarian effort involving St. Louis Children’s Hospital, The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the School of Medicine. Through a shared commonality of purpose, each institution brings unique strengths and leadership within their respective fields to bear on this global challenge.

Washington University’s Lynn Imergoot passes away in New York

Washington University in St. Louis associate director of intramurals and club sports and former women’s tennis coach Lynn Imergoot passed away on Friday, July 24, from injuries sustained in a car accident in New York. Imergoot, 60, retired from coaching in 2005 and spent a total of 37 years on the Danforth Campus.

New paging system coming to Medical Center

A 10 million-square-foot cellular network will be built on the Washington University Medical Center campus this year as part of a new paging system. Sprint and TFC, the joint School of Medicine- and BJC HealthCare-operated company that supports telecommunications services, will build the network, estimated to be complete in early 2010.

Saturnian moon shows evidence of ammonia

Data collected during two close flybys of Saturn’s moon Enceladus by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft add more fuel to the fire about the Saturnian ice world containing sub-surface liquid water, according to a report in the July 23 issue of the journal Nature that is co-authored by a planetary researcher from Washington University in St. Louis.

Apollo 11 moon rocks still crucial 40 years later, say WUSTL researchers

Photo by Randy KorotevLunar geochemist Randy Korotev, Ph.D., a research professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences, said that there are still many answers to be gleaned from the moon rocks collected by the Apollo 11 astronauts on their historic moonwalk 40 years ago July 20. And he credits another WUSTL professor for the fact that the astronauts even collected the moon rocks in the first place.