- Bacteria could learn to predict the future - By studying biology with a physicist’s perspective, Tikhonov hopes to shed more light on the ways that traditional biological theories limit the questions that researchers ask. https://source.wustl.edu/2021/09/bacteria-could-learn-to-predict-the-future/ 2 comments science
- Some investigational Alzheimer’s disease therapies are more effective when paired with a treatment geared toward improving drainage of fluid—and debris—from the brain, according to a study in mice. https://source.wustl.edu/2021/04/draining-brains-debris-enhances-alzheimers-therapies-in-mice/ 6 comments science
- Virus-based therapy - The Zika virus can activate immune cells to destroy an aggressive brain cancer in mice, giving a powerful boost to an immunotherapy drug and sparking long-lasting immunological memory that can ward off tumor recurrence for at least 18 months https://source.wustl.edu/2021/03/zika-virus-helps-destroy-deadly-brain-cancer-in-mice/ 5 comments science
- Widening political rift in U.S. may threaten science and medicine - A new study finds conservatives less willing than liberals to participate in research, due in part to their lower levels of trust in science. But lack of trust in science only accounted for about a quarter of the effect. https://source.wustl.edu/2021/03/widening-political-rift-in-u-s-may-threaten-science-medicine/ 55 comments science
- Death by suicide in children has reached a 30-year high in the United States. During middle and high school, 10% to 15% of kids have thoughts of suicide. Family conflict and parental monitoring are significant predictors of suicidal thoughts https://source.wustl.edu/2020/02/suicidal-thoughts-in-9-and-10-year-olds-correlate-to-family-dynamics-study-found/ 331 comments science
- Chimpanzees more likely to share tools, teach skills when task is complex. The study helps illuminate chimpanzees’ capacity for prosocial — or helping — behavior, a quality that has been recognized for its potential role in the evolution of human cultural abilities. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/12/chimpanzees-more-likely-to-share-tools-teach-skills-when-task-is-complex/ 4 comments science
- The brain tunes itself to a point where it is as excitable as it can be without tipping into disorder, suggests a new study in rats. This criticality hypothesis asserts that the brain is poised on the fine line between quiescence and chaos. At exactly this line, information processing is maximized. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/10/brain-tunes-itself-to-criticality-maximizing-information-processing/ 1012 comments science
- Early exposure to emotional violence significantly increases the chances that youths will contemplate suicide, according to new research (n>9,300). Emotional violence included whether adults had ever threatened to abandon the children, made them feel unwanted, or humiliated them in front of others. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/06/emotional-violence-in-childhood-adolescence-associated-with-suicidal-thoughts/ 569 comments science
- ‘Jumping genes’ drive many aggressive forms of cancer. Jumping genes aren’t mutations—mistakes in the letters of the DNA sequence— so traditional cancer genome sequencing can’t identify them. As such, this study opens up new lines of research for future cancer therapies that might target such genes. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/03/jumping-genes-drive-many-cancers/ 3 comments science
- Probiotics can evolve inside the body and have the potential to become less effective and sometimes even harmful. Researchers studying a strain of E. coli for sale in Europe as an anti-diarrheal probiotic found that the bacteria’s DNA changed after living in mice’s intestines for a few weeks. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/03/probiotic-bacteria-evolve-inside-mices-gi-tracts/ 33 comments science
- A combination of two topical creams already shown to clear precancerous lesions from sun-damaged skin also lowers the risk that patients will later develop squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, according to a new study. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/03/topical-immunotherapy-keeps-skin-cancer-risk-at-bay/ 33 comments science
- Performance-based pay linked to employee mental-health problems. Companies moving to a pay-for-performance process may lead to an increase the number of employees taking anxiety and depression medication, according to a new study. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/03/performance-based-pay-linked-to-employee-mental-health-problems-study-shows/ 12 comments science
- Chronic pain involves more than just hurting, suffers often experience sadness, depression and lethargy. But new research with rodents shows that it’s possible to block the receptors in the brain responsible for the emotional components of pain and restore motivation. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/03/blunting-pains-emotional-component/ 560 comments science
- Study in mice finds that a chemical in hand soap and toothpaste meant to kill bacteria is actually making them stronger and more capable of surviving antibiotic treatment, including those antibiotics doctors commonly use to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs). https://source.wustl.edu/2019/02/chemical-added-to-consumer-products-impairs-response-to-antibiotic-treatment/ 7 comments science
- New research suggests that most US presidents will be largely forgotten within 50-to-100 years of their serving as president, based on presidential-recall tests given to three generations of undergraduate college students (1974, 1991 and 2009) and 577 adults ages 18-69 in 2014. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/02/trumps-legacy-still-uncertain-suggests-expert-on-nations-collective-memory/ 6 comments science
- A boss can get too close with workers, suggests a new study on an IT company in China published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Workers who are close to their managers sometimes can feel less compelled to answer a request or return a favor right away. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/how-a-boss-can-get-too-close-with-workers/ 4 comments science
- Live in the moment, don’t selfie or snap it: If an event is otherwise highly enjoyable, pausing to take photographs will detract from a person’s engagement and enjoyment, and potentially affect the business visited, according to a series of experiments with undergraduates and people online (n>600). https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/study-live-in-the-moment-dont-selfie-or-snap-it/ 3 comments science
- Children who have more conflict with their mothers during early years of school may find it more difficult to find a sense of purpose in life as adults, suggests new research. This negative impact on a sense of purpose was not as strong for conflict with fathers. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/purpose-2/ 713 comments science
- Children who have more conflict in relationships with their mothers during early years of elementary school may find it more difficult to find a sense of purpose in life as they reach adulthood, suggests new research. This negative impact on purpose was not as strong for conflict with fathers. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/purpose-2/ 5 comments science
- Using bacteria to create a water filter that kills bacteria: New technology, using graphene oxide and bacterial nanocellulose, can clean water twice as fast as commercially available ultrafiltration membranes. If scaled up, it could benefit many developing countries where clean water is scarce. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/using-bacteria-to-create-a-water-filter-that-kills-bacteria/?t=au 10 comments science
- New research suggests that tailoring treatments to men and women with glioblastoma based on the molecular subtypes of their tumors may improve survival for all patients. https://source.wustl.edu/2019/01/sex-differences-identified-in-deadly-brain-tumors/ 5 comments science
- A new study used a computational model to analyze overconfidence in entrepreneurs and found that certain combinations of personality biases, which seem “toxic,” turn out to benefit entrepreneurs, such as this equation: overconfidence + overreaction to information gathered = near-optimal results. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/11/dont-always-credit-or-blame-innovator-behavior/ 13 comments science
- Natural sugar cuts diabetes risk in mice - A natural sugar called trehalose blocks glucose from the liver and activates a gene that boosts insulin sensitivity, which reduces the chance of developing diabetes, according to new research. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/08/natural-sugar-defends-against-metabolic-syndrome-in-mice/ 10 comments science
- We may not be able to change recent events in our lives, but how well we remember them plays a key role in how our brains model what's happening in the present and predict what is likely to occur in the future, finds new research. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/07/changedetection/ 3 comments science
- A non-opioid, experimental drug called EMA401 has shown promise as a treatment for chronic nerve pain in a new study in mice. It targets receptors on immune cells called macrophages, instead of nerves, and it doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier, so it eliminates side effects such as addiction. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/07/non-opioid-drug-relieves-pain-in-mice-targets-immune-cells/ 4 comments science
- Study shows a massive narcissistic bias in the way some Americans remember the contributions of their home states to US history. When asked, participants routinely gave their home state higher scores for its contribution to US history than those provided by non-residents of the state. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/06/sorry-virginia-u-s-history-isnt-all-about-you/ 2757 comments science
- Childhood poverty costs U.S. $1.03 trillion in a year, study finds. Total amounts to 28% of the federal budget. https://source.wustl.edu/2018/04/childhood-poverty-cost-u-s-1-03-trillion-in-a-year-study-finds/ 22 comments science
- Inexpensive, novel method to transport blood, urine samples without refrigeration developed at Washington University https://source.wustl.edu/2018/03/simplifying-samples/ 3 comments science
- Similarities found in cancer initiation in kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas. Potential for therapies that interfere with early cancer growth https://source.wustl.edu/2018/02/similarities-found-cancer-initiation-kidney-liver-stomach-pancreas/ 5 comments science
- Sleep deprivation can lead the brain to produce more of the Alzheimer’s-linked protein amyloid beta than the its waste-disposal system can handle, according to a small study. Levels of the protein rise, potentially setting off a sequence of changes to the brain that can end with dementia. https://source.wustl.edu/2017/12/lack-sleep-boosts-levels-alzheimers-proteins/ 27 comments science
- Study identifies brain networks involved in a baby’s learning to walk, which may predict whether infants are at risk for autism. Previous research has shown that babies who have delays in developing skills involved in coordination and movement are more likely to be diagnosed subsequently with autism https://source.wustl.edu/2017/12/brain-networks-help-babies-learn-walk-idd/ 3 comments science
- A protein called ApoE4 worsens the brain damage caused by tangles of another protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, research shows. In the absence of ApoE, tau tangles did very little harm to brain cells. The findings suggest a possible therapeutic target for the disease. https://source.wustl.edu/2017/09/newly-idd-role-major-alzheimers-gene-suggests-possible-therapeutic-target/ 18 comments science
- New research suggests the best way to minimize pollution exposure on the commute to and from work is to turn up the air conditioning in your vehicle. Researchers found that using air conditioning reduced the amounts of the pollutants inside the vehicle by 20%-34%. https://source.wustl.edu/2017/08/crank-ac-cut-car-pollution/ 18 comments science
- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis discover that a protein-rich diet can help soothe irritable bowels and reduce inflammation in mice https://source.wustl.edu/2017/08/protein-rich-diet-may-help-soothe-inflamed-gut/ 8 comments science
- Zeno effects: Schrödinger’s cat dies sooner or later. If one peeks into the cat box frequently—thousands of times a second—you can either delay the fateful choice or, conversely, accelerate it. The delay is known as the quantum Zeno effect and the acceleration as the quantum anti-Zeno effect. https://source.wustl.edu/2017/06/shaking-schrodingers-cat/ 8 comments science
- Scientists found our biological clocks are a type of cell they used to think was just a gap filler in the nervous system https://source.wustl.edu/2017/03/clock-stars-astrocytes-keep-daily-time-brain-behavior/ 157 comments science
- Most American presidents destined to fade from nation’s memory https://source.wustl.edu/2014/12/most-american-presidents-destined-to-fade-from-nations-memory-study-suggests/ 3 comments politics
- A song is just a song, but as time goes by, something as random as a song’s length could be the difference in whether you miss an important deadline or arrive late for an appointment, suggests time-management research. https://source.wustl.edu/2016/12/no-excuses-real-reason-youre-late-may-vary-age/ 8 comments science
- Study based on 3 experiments of 200 people each finds that people express both positive and negative feelings about revenge, such that revenge isn’t bitter, nor sweet, but both. People love revenge because the offending party is punished, but dislike it because it reminds them of the original act. https://source.wustl.edu/2016/06/make-no-mistake-revenge-bittersweet-study-confirms/ 5 comments science
- As more states legalize marijuana, adolescents’ problems with pot decline. Fewer adolescents also report using marijuana. https://source.wustl.edu/2016/05/states-legalize-marijuana-adolescents-problems-pot-decline/ 1237 comments science