About The Source
The Source is a place for information, inspiration and for sharing stories about exciting discoveries and accomplishments at Washington University. Here, you’ll experience the research, scholarship and creativity that drive us every day. You’ll also get a glimpse of campus life and meet the people who inspire us: scientists, leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, artists and authors. If you’re looking to explore a remarkable place where people matter and serious work is done, this is The Source.
WashU Expert: We must address suicide in gun violence in America
In the United States, almost 50,000 people die every year from suicide. While participating in a June 13 briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a Washington University in St. Louis expert testified that — amid the need nationally to stem violence in schools and elsewhere — suicide remains preventable.
Once thought to be asexual, single-celled parasites caught in the act
The single-celled parasite Leishmania can reproduce sexually, according to a study from the School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The finding could pave the way towards finding genes that help the parasite cause disease.
What happened on July 4, 1776? Maybe not what you think
On that historic day 243 years ago, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. But it would be weeks before the Founding Fathers would actually sign the handwritten document now housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. In the meantime, official broadsides — one of which is showcased at Washington University in St. Louis — were printed and posted on the doors of courthouses across the nation.
Competence, confidence affect whether investor ‘sharks’ bite
An Olin Business School faculty member teamed up with three researchers from Michigan State University to examine investors’ decision-making, and they came up with a novel idea for a laboratory: ABC’s reality TV show “Shark Tank.”
The fractal brain, from a single neuron’s perspective
Physicists studying the brain at Washington University in St. Louis have shown how measuring signals from a single neuron may be as good as capturing information from many neurons at once using big, expensive arrays of electrodes. The new work continues the discussion about how the brain seems to function in a “critical” state. The research was reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Aging delayed in older mice given blood component from young mice
Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that supplementing older mice with an enzyme from younger mice extends life spans in the older ones.
Structuring sweetness: What makes Stevia so sweet?
New research by biologists in Arts & Sciences reveals the molecular machinery behind the high-intensity sweetness of the stevia plant. The results could be used to engineer new non-caloric products without the aftertaste that many associate with the sweetener marketed as Stevia.
To fight TB infection, early protection is crucial
Researchers at the School of Medicine and the Africa Health Research Institute have identified a master cell that coordinates the body’s immune defenses in the crucial early days after a tuberculosis infection. Boosting the activity of such cells could help reduce the millions of new infections that occur worldwide every year.