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.
Andrew Martin appointed 15th chancellor of Washington University
Andrew D. Martin, dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, has been appointed the 15th chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, effective June 1, 2019, according to Craig D. Schnuck, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees.
Scientists uncover new details in how sense of smell develops
Researchers at the School of Medicine have uncovered new details in how a tissue called the olfactory epithelium develops in the nasal cavity. The findings could shed new light on why dogs have such a good sense of smell.
Bigger proteins, stronger threads: Synthetic spider silk
Scientists in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis have, for the first time, created a biosynthetic spider silk that behaves like the real thing. And they may soon make it even stronger.
Improving nuclear detection with new chip power
A cross-disciplinary team of chemists and physicists in Arts & Sciences is building a better computer chip to improve detection and surveillance for the illegal transport of nuclear materials at U.S. borders. The work is part of a new, five-year, $10 million collaboration in low-energy nuclear science led by Texas A&M University.
New approach to developing antidepressants
School of Medicine researchers are trying a different approach to alleviate depression. Using CRISPR technology, the scientists have been able to target a different type of receptor in the brain that may be aided by natural mood-boosting substances.
Inducing labor at 39 weeks reduces likelihood of C-sections
Inducing labor in healthy first-time mothers in the 39th week of pregnancy results in lower rates of cesarean sections compared with waiting for labor to begin naturally at full term, according to a multicenter study that involved the School of Medicine and was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
A path to diversity in neuroscience
With a strong focus on community, the undergraduate pipeline program ENDURE at Washington University in St. Louis prepares students from diverse backgrounds for neuroscience doctoral programs.
There and back again: Mantle xenon has a story to tell
Rita Parai, assistant professor of geochemistry in Arts & Sciences, constrains the history of volatile transport from the atmosphere into the deep Earth in a new publication in the journal Nature.