Not-so-spooky sounds: Audio recordings help ID urban bats

Washington University scientists have documented 10 different bat species in our area, including several threatened and endangered bats.

How WashU restored Poe’s spine-tingling text

To University Libraries’ Cassie Brand, few texts are as spooky as “The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe. In celebration of Halloween, Brand shares in this video how the libraries saved its rare first edition of the Poe classic.

WashU Expert: Some parasites turn hosts into ‘zombies’

While the flesh-eating undead portrayed on television are just fiction, there are clear examples of parasites that have evolved to manipulate their hosts, according to Theresa Gildner in Arts & Sciences.

Notables

Jeannette Cooperman and John Griswold, both staff writers for The Common Reader, the journal of essays and ideas housed at Washington University, have been named to the Notable Essays list in “Best American Essays 2023.”

Research Wire

A team led by Lan Yang at the McKelvey School of Engineering developed a novel whispering-gallery-mode microprobe that optimizes detection of molecular fingerprints.

Announcements

Open enrollment for health benefits begins Nov. 1

Open enrollment to change or re-enroll for 2024 benefits, such as health insurance, for Washington University faculty, staff and trainees begins Wednesday, Nov. 1, and runs through Nov. 17. Make selections through Workday.