Time for tea
A new weekly “Tuesday Tea at 3” program begins Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Danforth University Center.
THIS IS home.php
Victorian-era comedy explores gender, class, intimacy
Photo by David KilperThe Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences showcases another side of David Mamet with “Boston Marriage,” a sharp and sometimes shocking drawing room comedy centered on a pair of genteel Victorian women. Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre at 8 p.m. Nov. 20, 21 and 22; and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22 and 23.
System installed to improve indoor cell phone reception
Washington University recently installed a system in several buildings on the Danforth Campus to enable cell phone providers to direct their signals into interior spaces. The underground garage at the Danforth University Center, the Knight Center and parts of Simon Hall will benefit from the initial installation of this system.
Master class
Photo by David KilperVisiting choreographer James Jordan, ballet master for the Kansas City Ballet, works with dance students in the Annelise Mertz Dance Studio to set a piece for the upcoming Washington University Dance Theatre concert.
Brain implants may help stroke patients overcome partial paralysis
Scientists have shown for the first time that neuroprosthetic brain implants may be able to help stroke patients with partial paralysis. Researchers found that implants known as brain-computer interfaces (BCI) may be able to detect activity on one side of the brain that is linked to hand and arm movements on the same side of the body. They hope to use these signals to guide motorized assistance mechanisms that restore mobility in partially paralyzed limbs.
Biofuel costs, benefits are focus of public forum, Nov. 14
The profitability of corn ethanol processing, the costs and benefits of ethanol as a fuel source, the impact of the ethanol boom on rural America and the future of the biofuel industry will be among topics explored at a free public forum on the economics of ethanol to be held on campus from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 14.
Brain scans demonstrate link between education and Alzheimer’s
A test that reveals brain changes believed to be at the heart of Alzheimer’s disease has bolstered the theory that education can delay the onset of the dementia and cognitive decline that are characteristic of the disorder. Scientists at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the School of Medicine found that some study participants who appeared to have the brain plaques long associated with Alzheimer’s disease still received high scores on tests of their cognitive ability. Participants who did well on the tests were likely to have spent more years in school.
Simple brain mechanisms explain arbitrary human visual decisions
Mark Twain, a skeptic of the idea of free will, argues in his essay “What Is Man?” that humans do not command their minds or the opinions they form. Twain’s views get a boost this week from researchers at the School of Medicine and University of Chieti, Italy. In Nature Neuroscience, scientists report that a simple decision-making task does not involve the frontal lobes, where many of the higher aspects of human cognition, including self-awareness, are thought to originate.
Weekend Bear Sports
– see latest updates
Understanding people
Photo by David KilperLarsen studies the many aspects of the human personality.