Arts & Sciences

The silkworm moth, whose caterpillars have been used in silk production since antiquity, may have been brought to southern Central Asia 4,000 years ago — nearly 2,000 years earlier than previously assumed — according to new research from WashU.

John McCarthy, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Mathematics in WashU Arts & Sciences, has won a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop mathematical models to help understand biological systems.

Plant scientists at WashU organize research on wild plant diseases that could help agricultural systems endure climate change.

Biologist Rachel Penczykowski, in WashU Arts & Sciences, is an expert in infectious disease in plants. She conducts much of her research in the field — rural farmland, urban parks and, on this sunny day, a garden bed at Jackson Park Elementary School in the University City School District.

By studying two very different animals, biologist Andreas Kautt in WashU Arts & Sciences is uncovering the genetic changes that help species adapt and diversify.

Helina Woldekiros was the first female Ethiopian archaeologist to earn a doctoral degree at an American institution. Now an associate professor of archaeology in WashU Arts & Sciences, she is exploring the culture of the kingdom that gave the world coffee.

In “The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life,” WashU’s Ian Bogost explores the real but often unremarked delights to be found in ordinary encounters with the physical world. “While you are waiting for the supposedly important stuff to arrive,” Bogost writes, “a million cases of the small stuff come and go.”

People join movements for many reasons. The American Revolution was no different, says Peter Kastor, a professor of history at WashU. “They all agree on liberty. They disagree on what it means.”

Ten teachers from across the St. Louis region will partner with WashU faculty for the 2026 Summer Teacher Researcher Program. Administered by the university’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP), the program provides teachers an opportunity to participate in faculty research and develop lessons for their classrooms.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence signing, experts at Washington University in St. Louis are reflecting on the events and ideas that shaped this nation and their continued relevance today.