Latest News from: Washington University in St. Louis

Filters close
Released: 21-Feb-2024 11:05 PM EST
Alzheimer’s blood test performs as well as FDA-approved spinal fluid tests
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists report a major step toward a simple blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden showed that a blood test is as good at identifying people in early stages of the disease as cerebrospinal fluid tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The findings indicate that a blood test soon may replace more expensive and invasive brain scans and spinal taps for detecting signs of Alzheimer’s in the brain.

Newswise: Weedy rice gets competitive boost from its wild neighbors
19-Feb-2024 8:05 AM EST
Weedy rice gets competitive boost from its wild neighbors
Washington University in St. Louis

Weedy rice is an agricultural pest with a global economic impact. It is an aggressive weed that outcompetes cultivated rice and causes billions of dollars in yield losses worldwide. A study from Washington University in St. Louis offers new insights into genetic changes that give weedy rice its edge over cultivated rice in tropical regions of the world.

Released: 20-Feb-2024 4:05 PM EST
New cell-based immunotherapy offered for melanoma
Washington University in St. Louis

Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is one of the first centers nationwide to offer a newly approved cell-based immunotherapy that targets melanoma.

Released: 20-Feb-2024 3:05 PM EST
Water quality monitor, locust-inspired electronic nose under development
Washington University in St. Louis

Two teams of engineers led by faculty in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis will work toward developing products to monitor drinking water quality and to detect explosives with an electronic nose with one-year, $650,000 Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Released: 15-Feb-2024 2:05 PM EST
The ties that bind
Washington University in St. Louis

In a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, WashU researchers discovered that a common mineral called goethite — an iron-rich mineral that is abundant in soils that cover the Earth — tends to incorporate trace metals into its structure over time, binding the metals in such a way that it locks them out of circulation.

Released: 14-Feb-2024 8:00 AM EST
WashU awarded up to $20M to create portable device to scan for eye diseases
Washington University in St. Louis

Chao Zhou, a professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded an up to $20 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

   
Newswise: Prehistoric mobility among Tibetan farmers, herders shaped highland settlement patterns, cultural interaction, study finds
1-Feb-2024 3:05 PM EST
Prehistoric mobility among Tibetan farmers, herders shaped highland settlement patterns, cultural interaction, study finds
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University in St. Louis and Sichuan University in China explores how and why ancient communities built social relationships and cultural identities across the extreme terrain in Tibet.

   
Released: 31-Jan-2024 8:00 AM EST
Looking for love? Try finding purpose as well
Washington University in St. Louis

The world of online dating can be overwhelming with the dizzying array of options for attracting a partner but new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that those looking for love may have more success if they also seek a sense of purpose in life.

Released: 26-Jan-2024 6:05 PM EST
Breast cancer rates increasing among younger women
Washington University in St. Louis

According to a study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, diagnoses of breast cancer have increased steadily in women under age 50 over the past two decades, with steeper increases in more recent years.

Newswise: Locusts’ sense of smell boosted with custom-made nanoparticles
Released: 26-Jan-2024 8:00 AM EST
Locusts’ sense of smell boosted with custom-made nanoparticles
Washington University in St. Louis

Srikanth Singamaneni and Barani Raman, both professors in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, led a team that harnessed the power of specially made nanostructures to enhance the neural response in a locust's brain to specific odors and to improve their identification of those odors.

Newswise: Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center launches at Washington University in St. Louis
Released: 25-Jan-2024 8:00 AM EST
Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center launches at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis

A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has established the Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center to work across disciplines to find nature-inspired alternatives to plastics.

Newswise: WashU Expert: Expanded child tax credit would ultimately save money, reduce poverty
Released: 23-Jan-2024 12:05 PM EST
WashU Expert: Expanded child tax credit would ultimately save money, reduce poverty
Washington University in St. Louis

A plan to expand the child tax credit would go a long way in reducing childhood poverty in America, saving billions in future costs, says an expert on poverty and inequality at Washington University in St. Louis.

Newswise: WashU Expert: VC bust? Time to return to fundamentals in 2024
Released: 16-Jan-2024 2:05 PM EST
WashU Expert: VC bust? Time to return to fundamentals in 2024
Washington University in St. Louis

After years of record investments and outsized returns fueled by ultralow interest rates, 3,200 U.S. private venture-backed companies — mostly tech startups — went out of business last year. Doug Villhard at Washington University in St. Louis' Olin Business School said the bust will cause the industry to reassess what is really important.

Released: 16-Jan-2024 1:05 PM EST
Samples from a Wild comet reveal a surprising past
Washington University in St. Louis

Eighteen years after NASA’s Stardust mission returned to Earth with the first samples from a known comet, the true nature of that icy object is coming into focus. Stardust collected material from Wild 2, a comet that likely formed beyond Neptune and currently orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Painstaking analyses of the microscopic samples, recently described in the journal Geochemistry, have revealed a surprising truth about the comet’s origins and history, said Ryan Ogliore, an associate professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St.

Released: 8-Jan-2024 4:05 PM EST
Life span increases in mice when specific brain cells are activated
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies, in mice, a critical communication pathway connecting the brain and the body’s fat tissue in a feedback loop that appears central to energy production throughout the body. The research suggests that the gradual deterioration of this feedback loop contributes to the increasing health problems that are typical of natural aging.

Released: 8-Jan-2024 11:05 AM EST
Why do we sleep? Researchers propose an answer to this age-old question
Washington University in St. Louis

Sleep is a fundamental need, just like food or water. “You’ll die without it,” said Keith Hengen, an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis. But what does sleep actually accomplish? For years, the best researchers could say is that sleep reduces sleepiness — hardly a satisfying explanation for a basic requirement of life.

Newswise: Some mosquitoes like it hot
8-Jan-2024 1:05 AM EST
Some mosquitoes like it hot
Washington University in St. Louis

Certain populations of mosquitoes are more heat tolerant and better equipped to survive heat waves than others, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis. .

Newswise: Study reveals clues to how Eastern equine encephalitis virus invades brain cells
2-Jan-2024 5:05 PM EST
Study reveals clues to how Eastern equine encephalitis virus invades brain cells
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have determined how Eastern equine encephalitis virus attaches to a receptor it uses to enter and infect cells. The findings laid the groundwork for a receptor decoy molecule that protects mice from encephalitis caused by the virus.

Released: 15-Dec-2023 5:05 AM EST
Meta-learning to find every needle in every haystack
Washington University in St. Louis

In geospatial exploration, the quest for efficient identification of regions of interest has recently taken a leap forward with visual active search (VAS).

12-Dec-2023 3:05 PM EST
‘Long flu’ has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System comparing the viruses that cause the flu and COVID-19 shows that people hospitalized with seasonal influenza also can suffer long-term, negative health effects, especially involving their lungs and airways. The study also found that in the 18 months after infection, patients hospitalized for either COVID-19 or seasonal influenza faced an increased risk of death, hospital readmission, and other health problems.

Newswise: Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology, ancient DNA
Released: 14-Dec-2023 11:05 AM EST
Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology, ancient DNA
Washington University in St. Louis

The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau.

Released: 13-Dec-2023 8:05 PM EST
Gut bacteria of malnourished children benefit from key elements in therapeutic food
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified key, naturally occurring biochemical components of a novel therapeutic food that is aimed at repairing malnourished children’s underdeveloped gut microbiomes.

Released: 12-Dec-2023 2:05 PM EST
Smoking causes brain shrinkage
Washington University in St. Louis

Smoking shrinks the brain and effectively causes premature brain aging, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Quitting smoking prevents further loss of brain tissue but doesn’t restore the brain to its original size.

Released: 11-Dec-2023 5:05 PM EST
Team to develop breathalyzer test for COVID, RSV, influenza A
Washington University in St. Louis

Imagine the ability to quickly and accurately diagnose if you are infected with influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or COVID-19 with one breath in less than a minute.

Released: 11-Dec-2023 2:05 PM EST
Clues to preventing Alzheimer’s come from patient who, despite genetics, evaded disease
Washington University in St. Louis

A woman who never developed Alzheimer's despite a strong genetic predisposition may hold the key to stopping the disease in its tracks.

Newswise: Photoacoustic imaging improves diagnostic accuracy of cancerous ovarian lesions
Released: 6-Dec-2023 12:05 PM EST
Photoacoustic imaging improves diagnostic accuracy of cancerous ovarian lesions
Washington University in St. Louis

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system, and there is no screening test that can help with early detection. Ultrasound imaging, the standard of care used to determine whether lesions are cancerous or benign, is not always accurate, leading some patients to have the ovaries removed unnecessarily.

   
Newswise: 2D material reshapes 3D electronics for AI hardware
Released: 30-Nov-2023 11:05 AM EST
2D material reshapes 3D electronics for AI hardware
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering demonstrated monolithic 3D integration of layered 2D material into novel processing hardware for artificial intelligence (AI) computing.

Newswise: Long-standing hormone treatment for donated hearts found to be ineffective
28-Nov-2023 2:05 PM EST
Long-standing hormone treatment for donated hearts found to be ineffective
Washington University in St. Louis

A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Mid-America Transplant showed that the long-standing practice of treating deceased organ donors with thyroid hormone does not help preserve heart function, may cause harm and should be discontinued.

Newswise: Radiation therapy may be potential heart failure treatment
27-Nov-2023 3:05 PM EST
Radiation therapy may be potential heart failure treatment
Washington University in St. Louis

In diseased hearts, low-dose radiation therapy appears to improve heart function. The research, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, could lead to new heart failure therapies.

Newswise: Defending your voice against deepfakes
Released: 27-Nov-2023 2:05 PM EST
Defending your voice against deepfakes
Washington University in St. Louis

Computer scientists led by Ning Zhang at the McKelvey School of Engineering developed AntiFake, a tool to protect voice recordings from unauthorized speech synthesis.

Newswise: Separating out signals recorded at the seafloor
20-Nov-2023 6:05 AM EST
Separating out signals recorded at the seafloor
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists rely on pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold,” as a sensitive recorder of oceanic conditions, used to reconstruct timelines of global environmental change. Research from Washington University in St. Louis helps separate out local effects and sheds new light on the role of ancient microbial activity in driving the signals.

Newswise: Lowering a form of brain cholesterol reduces Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice
20-Nov-2023 10:05 AM EST
Lowering a form of brain cholesterol reduces Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a form of cholesterol known as cholesteryl esters builds up in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like disease, and that clearing out the cholesteryl esters helps prevent brain damage and behavioral changes.

Newswise: Navigating political discussions at holiday gatherings
Released: 20-Nov-2023 11:05 AM EST
Navigating political discussions at holiday gatherings
Washington University in St. Louis

Rather than avoid political discussions altogether, Taylor Carlson, associate professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis, says we should take a step back to critically evaluate the information our peers share with us, similar to how we should evaluate information we read in the news.

Newswise: WashU Expert: Open enrollment privacy concerns
Released: 16-Nov-2023 1:05 PM EST
WashU Expert: Open enrollment privacy concerns
Washington University in St. Louis

During this open enrollment season, parents should consider privacy implications when adding their adult children to their health insurance plan, said an expert on health insurance at Washington University in St. Louis. “Under the Affordable Care Act, young adults can stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26,” said Mary Mason, MD, associate director of the university’s Cordell Institute for Policy in Medicine & Law.

6-Nov-2023 12:05 PM EST
Key Medicare payment model fails to improve mental health
Washington University in St. Louis

A widespread Medicare program that aims to improve health care and lower costs by providing financial incentives to doctors and hospitals resulted in no improvements in mental health care, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Yale School of Public Health.

Newswise: Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures
31-Oct-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives — including globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments — the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.

Newswise: WashU Expert: Your smart speaker data is used in ways you might not expect
Released: 27-Oct-2023 7:05 AM EDT
WashU Expert: Your smart speaker data is used in ways you might not expect
Washington University in St. Louis

“Hey, Alexa, play the latest Taylor Swift album.” Smart speakers offer amazing convenience — from playing your favorite tunes to re-ordering toilet paper — with only a simple voice command. But that convenience can come with a steep cost in privacy that many consumers aren’t even aware they’re paying.

Newswise: Engineers to build cyborg locusts, study odor-guided navigation
Released: 16-Oct-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Engineers to build cyborg locusts, study odor-guided navigation
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers have long sought to understand locusts and their power of sensing, computing and locomotory capabilities. WashU engineers will study how the locust brain transforms sensory input into behavior with a four-year $4.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Newswise: WashU Expert: Trauma, Histories of Victimhood Will Influence Israeli Response
Released: 10-Oct-2023 3:05 PM EDT
WashU Expert: Trauma, Histories of Victimhood Will Influence Israeli Response
Washington University in St. Louis

New research by Carly Wayne, assistant professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis, demonstrates how a victimhood narrative plays a role in shaping Israeli political attitudes and and foments negative intergroup attitudes, and offers insight into Israel's response to the attack by Hamas.

5-Oct-2023 12:15 PM EDT
No Lizard Is an Island
Washington University in St. Louis

Research from Washington University in St. Louis and the Georgia Institute of Technology provides a more complete explanation of how evolution plays out among species that live side-by-side.

Newswise: Noninvasive, ultrasound-based brain biopsy is feasible, safe in people
Released: 28-Sep-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Noninvasive, ultrasound-based brain biopsy is feasible, safe in people
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique called sonobiopsy that uses ultrasound and microbubbles to disrupt the blood-brain barrier temporarily and allow RNA, DNA and proteins from the brain to spill out into the blood, where they can be detected and analyzed.

Newswise: How do toxic proteins accumulate in Alzheimer’s and other diseases?
Released: 21-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
How do toxic proteins accumulate in Alzheimer’s and other diseases?
Washington University in St. Louis

The normal brain protein tau sometimes gets knotted up into tangles and turns toxic, injuring brain tissue and causing tauopathies, a group of brain diseases characterized by problems with learning, memory and movement.

Released: 20-Sep-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Nearly 1 million assistance calls made to 211 in August
Washington University in St. Louis

In August 2023, Americans made nearly a million calls for help to the 211 emergency resources helpline, according to 211 Counts, a national tracking system in 36 states developed by the Brown School’s Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis.

Newswise: Expert: Auto workers’ strike could impact future labor organizing
Released: 19-Sep-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Expert: Auto workers’ strike could impact future labor organizing
Washington University in St. Louis

The persistently tight labor market, growing frustration over wage inequality and record high support for unions set the stage for the United Auto Workers strike, according to Jake Rosenfeld, a professor of sociology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

   
Newswise: A cautionary tale: How Italy’s ChatGPT ban hurt businesses, economy
Released: 19-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
A cautionary tale: How Italy’s ChatGPT ban hurt businesses, economy
Washington University in St. Louis

Initial data from Italy’s monthlong ChatGPT ban in early 2023 demonstrates the technology’s transformative impact on business and the economy, according to Jeremy Bertomeu at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis

Released: 14-Sep-2023 8:05 AM EDT
$3M grant funds training to harness power of AI for social, environmental challenges
Washington University in St. Louis

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is investing $3 million over the next five years in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advancements and Convergence in Computational, Environmental and Social Sciences (AI-ACCESS) program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Newswise: Virtual drug quiets noise in heart tissue images
Released: 11-Sep-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Virtual drug quiets noise in heart tissue images
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new computational approach to removing movement in images of expanding and contracting heart cells and tissues. By computationally removing movement, the algorithm mimics a drug’s action in stopping the heart, without compromising cellular structure or tissue contractility.

7-Sep-2023 8:00 AM EDT
Fiber from crustaceans, insects, mushrooms promotes digestion
Washington University in St. Louis

Crustaceans, insects and mushrooms are rich sources of the dietary fiber chitin, which activates the immune system and benefits metabolism, according to a new study, in mice, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Newswise: World can now breathe easier
Released: 6-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
World can now breathe easier
Washington University in St. Louis

Global, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure -- related to both pollution levels and population size -- increased from 1998 to a peak in 2011, then decreased steadily from 2011 to 2019, largely driven by exposure reduction in China and slower growth in other regions, new research shows.

   


close
0.26563