From rare soil microbe, a new antibiotic candidate
Demand for new kinds of antibiotics is surging, as drug-resistant and emerging infections are becoming an increasingly serious global health threat. Biologist Joshua Blodgett in Arts & Sciences discovered a new candidate for drug development from bioactive compounds in a soil bacterium. The findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Great Artists Series welcomes Angel Blue April 24
Acclaimed soprano Angel Blue, fresh from starring roles in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and “Porgy and Bess,” will present an intimate recital April 24 as part of the Great Artists Series at Washington University in St. Louis.
Perception matters: How fear about crime impacts presidential approval
Using Gallup survey data from 2000-2019 spanning across four presidential administrations, political scientists in Arts & Sciences find anxiety about crime, race and the president’s political party influence whether Americans hold presidents accountable for crime.
‘Requiem of Light’ in Forest Park April 23
More than 5,000 St. Louisans have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, April 23, a community-wide memorial service, organized by WashU’s Rebecca Messbarger, will take place in Forest Park. The event will include original music, guest speakers and the ceremonial lighting of 1,500 lanterns around the waters of the Grand Basin.
Changes in vegetation shaped global temperatures over last 10,000 years
Alexander Thompson, a postdoctoral research associate in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, updated simulations from an important climate model to more accurately reflect the role of a greener Sahara and the coniferous and deciduous forests of the mid-latitudes and the Arctic.
Montaño’s work named best book by Latin American studies group
Diana Montaño, assistant professor of history in Arts & Sciences, has won the Alfred B. Thomas Award for her book “Electrifying Mexico: Technology and the Transformation of a Modern City.”
Into the wild
Biologist Arpita Bose explains the importance of wetlands and the microorganisms living there to capture carbon — and to possibly provide solutions for a clean energy future
Karibu nyumbani, welcome home
How did alumna Freid Brown end up the first woman to lead a chartered university in Kenya? According to Brown, it wasn’t by design.
Making life-saving medicine available
Michael Holmes was determined to make a difference, and with a little guidance from above, help from pharmaceutical companies and some ingenuity, he started saving lives with Rx Outreach.
Arsalan Iftikhar: Combating fear of a Muslim planet
Arsalan Iftikhar, AB ’99, JD ’03, has spent his career speaking out against Islamophobia. In his new book, “Fear of a Muslim Planet,” he writes that the need to stand against hate is more urgent than ever.
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