Arts & Sciences

Even in the strange world of open quantum systems, the arrow of time points steadily forward — most of the time. A video details new experiments conducted at Washington University in St. Louis that compare the forward and reverse trajectories of superconducting circuits called qubits, and find that they largely tend to follow the second law of thermodynamics. The research is published July 9 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

As ecosystem engineers, bison have been hiding in plain sight for the past 40 years, since archaeologists first discovered that several native plants were domesticated in eastern North America. New research by Natalie Mueller, assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, explains the connection, published July 8 in Nature Plants.

Dylan Wallace, a 2019 graduate who studied environmental earth science and anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died in an accidental drowning in his hometown of Chicago on Friday, June 28, 2019. He was 22.

New research from Washington University in St. Louis provides compelling evidence that magmas may be wetter than once thought. The work led by experimental geochemists including Michael J. Krawczynski in Arts & Sciences is published in the July 2 issue of the journal American Mineralogist.

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused the Trump administration of “running concentration camps on our southern border,” a political firestorm erupted. But a question remained. Was the comparison justified? Arts & Sciences historian Anika Walke, a scholar of the Holocaust, offers perspective.

In a systematic review of 21 peer-reviewed journal articles, Anne Claire Grammer, a Washington University in St. Louis PhD candidate in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, and co-authors aimed to determine if sexual and gender minority adolescents are at greater risk for overweight or obesity compared to cisgender, heterosexual youth.

Morgan DeBaun (AB ’12) finds success as a media startup creator with Blavity, a platform that helps the Black community have a safe space online.

African and African American Studies, a program born out of student protest that recently became a department, celebrates its 50th year.

Kate Smith was the “songbird of the south” and “the First Lady of radio,” a 20th-century superstar whose recording of “God Bless America” was still being played during Philadelphia Flyer and New York Yankees home games. But recently, both teams distanced themselves from Smith due to racist lyrics in a pair of her early recordings. Arts & Sciences’ Todd Decker, chair of music, helps unpack the controversy for USA Today.

Tim Wencewicz, assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, has been recognized with a 2019 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. He will use the funding for his research to help develop new antibiotics, to combat antibiotic resistance and to improve the university’s organic chemistry curriculum.