Arts & Sciences

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have obtained the first experimental evidence that there are at least two fail-safe points in the bacterial cell cycle. If the fail-safes are activated, the cell is forced to exit the cell cycle forever. It then enters a zombie-like state and is unable to reproduce even under the most favorable of conditions. Drugs that trigger the fail-safes are already under development.

In the Aug. 28 issue of the journal Nature, a multi-institution research network called modENCODE (the Model Organism ENCylopedia Of DNA Elements) published three major papers that map and compare the genomes and epigenomes of humans and two model organisms, the fly, D. melanogaster, and the worm, C. elegans, in unprecedented detail. The fly and worm could serve as model organisms for screening drugs and micronutrients that might alter the epigenome, which is implicated in many diseases.

Only recently has it become possible to accurately “see” the structure of a liquid. Using X-rays and a high-tech apparatus that holds liquids without a container, a physicist at Washington University in St. Louis has compared the behavior of glass-forming liquids as they approach the glass transition. The results are the strongest demonstration yet that bulk properties like viscosity are linked to microscopic ones like structure.

D. Tab Rasmussen, PhD, professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, after an accident at his home in Edwardsville, Ill. He was 56. Rasmussen was a highly recognized physical anthropologist specializing in paleontology and behavioral ecology, especially among primates.

Look. Listen. Inhale. Exhale. In “December,” David Marchant explores the fragmentary nature of memory and the rhythms of human breathing. On Sept. 4, 5 and 6, Marchant will present “December” as part of “Dance Close Up.” The intimate concert will showcase 10 new and original works by dance faculty in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

As the St. Louis community grapples with recent events in the nearby suburb of Ferguson, Mo., a number of Washington University in St. Louis faculty members are offering their expertise, commentary and insight in hopes of promoting constructive dialogue on a number of challenging issues.​​

Erica Majumder, a graduate student in chemistry, won a travel grant from the American Chemical Society International Office to attend the International Symposium in Chemical Education Research in Lima, Peru, in October.

At recent Board of Trustees meetings, several faculty members were appointed with tenure, promoted with tenure or reinstated with tenure.

Marisa Bass, PhD, assistant professor of art history and archaeology in Arts & Sciences, received a research seed grant from the Humanities Center to fund her research in Munich in August for her new project, “Forged by Misfortune: The Art of Joris Hoefnagel in the Wake of the Dutch Revolt.”

In the past 10 years an active-learning course, called “Active Physics,” has gradually displaced lecture-based introductory courses in physics at Washington University in St. Louis. But are active-learning techniques effective when they are scaled up to large classes? A comprehensive three-year evaluation suggests that “Active Physics” consistently produces more proficient and confident students than the lecture courses it is replacing.