Arts & Sciences

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have a new model for understanding fruit fly courtship behavior, which can help with other sensory models in neuroscience research.

In the years leading up to the Revolution, Protestant preachers, sometimes referred to as the “black-robed regiment,” used biblical texts and spiritual ideas to reframe the treasonous act of rebellion into righteous moral duty, according to Mark Valeri, vice director of the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

WashU sophomore Courtney Lucas II has been selected by the Institute for Responsible Citizenship for its Washington Program, a selective, two-summer program for talented Black male college students.

Kathleen Finneran, senior writer-in-residence in the Department of English in Arts & Sciences, and author of the celebrated memoir “The Tender Land: A Family Love Story” (2000), died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. She was 68.

The Performing Arts Department will present Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Our Town” in Edison Theatre beginning Feb. 20. Though familiar to generations of audiences, the play’s pastoral setting can disguise its formal inventiveness, says director Andrea Urice.

Research from WashU psychologists finds perception of neighborhood safety affects brain development.

Sowande’ Mustakeem, associate professor of history and of African and African American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, will receive a 2026 Dred Scott Freedom Award March 7.

In his new book, “Michelangelo & Titian: A Tale of Rivalry & Genius,” WashU’s William Wallace explores a mutual admiration, and simmering competition, that unfolded over decades.

WashU psychology researcher Deanna Barch has won the Atkinson Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences from the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most prestigious honors in psychology.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are testing for elevated lead levels potentially kicked up in the destructive path of the 2025 tornado.