A new technique using subtle gaze direction guides novice radiologists to follow expert scanpaths, improving accuracy in reading mammograms. This high-tech approach shows promise for training medical image interpretation and could be applied to various visual search tasks.
Ray Arvidson's proposal aims to study crusted soils using the Curiosity rover, which can break through crusts and become mired in softer soils. The project has operational and scientific purposes, helping the rover navigate challenging terrain and investigate potentially habitable environments.
Astronomers will use a new telescope called X-Calibur to study the polarization of X-rays, providing information about cosmic sources that is not available elsewhere. The instrument will be sensitive to hard X-rays and will be flown at an altitude of 40 kilometers, allowing it to focus on celestial objects with high accuracy.
Researchers at Washington University have characterized a protein crucial to the life of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The enzyme, phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase (PMT), is an ideal target for new antimalarial drugs due to its unique characteristics and lack of homologues in humans.
Researchers found that pion decays would produce superluminal neutrinos only if energy and momentum were conserved. However, the OPERA experiment's results cannot be replicated under current physics. The creation of high-energy neutrinos is also supported by observations from IceCube.
A new study by Washington University in St. Louis found that joining old lead pipes with new copper lines using brass fittings increases the amount of lead released into drinking water supplies due to galvanic corrosion. This can make the problem worse for safety-minded, lead-pipe-removal programs at water utilities across the country.
Researchers found that cooperation among amoebae depends on their genetic relatedness, with low-relatedness populations exhibiting high cheating rates. The study suggests that population bottlenecks can stabilize cellular cooperation by eliminating diversity and restarting the population from a single cell.
Researchers will use a three-year, $1.38 million grant to study presolar grains in a sample of the Murchison meteorite. They aim to extract exceptionally large grains that came from supernovae, allowing them to make more comprehensive measurements and understand how elements were forged.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis successfully synthesized a chlorosome component, a giant assembly of pigment molecules, and studied its self-assembly properties. The findings suggest that synthetic pigments could be easier to incorporate into solar devices than biomimetics made of proteins.
A team of researchers has developed an artificial neural network model to predict the location of fossil sites. The software uses satellite imagery and maps to identify productive areas in the Great Divide Basin, Wyoming, and has already accurately pinpointed 79% of known fossil sites.
A fossil fragment from Kent's Cavern in southern England establishes the presence of modern humans in western Europe by 40,000 years ago. The discovery joins a human skull and lower jaw from Romania, confirming modern humans at both ends of Europe by this date.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have identified seven genes encoding mechanosensitive channels in Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant related to mustard and cabbage. These channels are believed to play a crucial role in plant movement and response to physical stimuli.
Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded a $2.2 million US Department of Energy grant to create a fuel-producing cyanobacterium using systems biology and synthetic biology approaches. The project aims to develop a novel organism that can efficiently produce fuels from sunlight, water, and CO2.
A team of astrophysicists has detected pulsed gamma rays from the Crab Nebula with energies up to 400 billion electronvolts, far exceeding previous detection limits. The high-energy emission challenges existing pulsar models and may require significant adjustments to our understanding of these extreme systems.
The Mars rover Opportunity is poised on a rock that may yield clues to the planet's environment when running rivers coursed the surface. The rover is sampling an impact crater produced during heavy bombardment, which could indicate conditions conducive to life.
A study at Washington University in St. Louis found that highlighting war casualties can sway people's pro-war attitudes rather than discouraging them. The 'sunk-cost effect' makes individuals more likely to stay committed to a cause due to the emotional investment, even if it no longer serves their best interest.
Researchers developed a noninvasive technique called Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI) to map the source and pattern of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in just one heartbeat. The technology, which combines CT scans with electrocardiograms, can generate movies of VT excitation waves and reveal even more about the nature of the arrhythmia.
A 20-year study in the Ozarks found that burning entire mountains and valleys restored ecological damage, benefiting multiple species. The collared lizard's expansion was facilitated by this process, allowing it to undertake its own restoration effort.
Scientists identified a key brain region and system involved in predicting the near future, which may help diagnose early stage neurological diseases such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's. The study found that participants were more accurate in predicting events within an event but struggled across boundaries.
A wireless sensor network tracks at-risk patients' vital signs, transmitting data to a base station for analysis by machine-learning algorithms. The system aims to prevent adverse events by detecting changes in vital signs before they become critical.
Researchers used human hearts to replicate a mouse study on KATP ion channel drug targets, finding one target ineffective in humans. The findings underscore the importance of translating results from animal models to clinical trials in cardiovascular research.
A small volcanic province has been discovered on the Moon's far side, revealing clues to its thermal history. The province was created by upwelling of silicic magma and challenges current ideas about the Moon's volcanic history.
A tiny ring laser can detect and count individual nanoparticles with high accuracy, offering a breakthrough in sensing technology. The sensor's effective resolution limit is about one nanometer, making it orders of magnitude more sensitive than earlier passive resonators.
Researchers discovered two distinct populations of coconuts, indicating separate cultivation origins in the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. The study also found evidence of prehistoric trade routes and the colonization of the Americas through coconut genetics.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that viewing emotion-laden images immediately after taking a test enhances people's retention of the tested material. The finding is counterintuitive, as one might expect negative emotions to hinder learning.
Researchers found that resistant horseweed has a pump in the tonoplast membrane that actively moves glyphosate into the vacuole, making it unavailable for translocation. Sensitive plants can't keep up with this rapid shuttle of glyphosate, allowing them to be killed by the herbicide.
A new method combining electrochemistry and photovoltaics is being explored to clean up oxidation reactions. By harnessing solar energy, the need for toxic chemicals can be eliminated, reducing environmental harm. The research aims to make chemical synthesis more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Researchers assembled a team to investigate the efficiency of photosynthesis and solar cells. They found that plants are approximately 1% efficient in converting sunlight into energy, while photovoltaic arrays can achieve up to 10% efficiency.
A recent study by Washington University in St. Louis scientist Younan Xia found that nanoparticles above certain sizes and weights settle, altering the concentration near cell surfaces and resulting in higher cellular uptake rates. This discovery may invalidate prior experiments on nanoparticle toxicity and dosimetry.
Researchers found that advancements in brain anatomy and signal processing allowed mormyrids to fully exploit electric signal space, leading to rapid speciation. The study revealed two equally parsimonious ways to reconstruct the fish's evolutionary history, challenging current understanding of brain development.
Twelve Washington University students isolated and characterized 18 novel phages, including two from St. Louis, in a research project supported by the Science Education Alliance. The findings provide insights into genome architecture and evolution of mycobacteriophages.
Researchers studied three species of shootingstars to understand their response to global warming. They found that some species migrated while others adapted in place, with rare species exhibiting distinct genetic histories. This study provides valuable clues for predicting how plants will respond to climate change.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a biomimetic patch to improve the success rate of rotator cuff repairs. The patch, which mimics the natural tissue, is designed to guide the healing process along the path it follows during development.
A breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology could allow people to control prosthetic arms using only their thoughts. Researchers at Washington University have developed an Electroencephalography grid (EECoG) system that can detect specific brain signals, enabling users to control a virtual arm with unprecedented precision.
Scientists can now focus light to a controllable position within tissue, overcoming the challenges of scattering in biological tissues. This breakthrough technology uses an ultrasound guide star and time-reversal mirror to create high-resolution images of objects within tissue.
A new study by Washington University in St. Louis anthropologist Glenn Stone suggests that genetically modified Bt cotton seeds may have overemphasized crop yield gains, potentially harming sustainable farm management. The research found a modest rise in crop yields despite decreased pesticide sprayings.
Researchers have found that seismic noise from storms in the South Atlantic Ocean and 'footquakes' from soccer matches can be detected by broadband seismometers. The discovery was made using cross-correlation analysis, which reveals a signal that varies with storm intensity.
The modENCODE project has made significant breakthroughs in understanding the epigenome, a complex system that regulates gene expression in eukaryotic organisms. By analyzing the epigenetics of fruit flies and round worms, researchers have gained insights into how DNA packaging affects organism development.
Researchers use temperature jump and fast chemical reaction to capture protein folding process, providing detail needed for accurate predictions. The new method offers hope for improving protein structure predictions, which are crucial for medicine and biotechnology.
A new study by Erik Trinkaus suggests that early modern humans and Neanderthals had similar adult mortality patterns, with no evidence of a longevity advantage for modern humans. This challenges the theory that Neanderthal shorter life expectancy contributed to their demise.
A study suggests that adding a shear-thickening polymer like cornstarch to drilling mud could suppress instability, allowing the mud to sink and stop the leak. Physicist Jonathan Katz's idea was initially rejected by BP, but experiments show it might have worked.
The cyanobacteria Cyanothece 51142 produces hydrogen gas at a rate roughly 10 times higher than its nearest competitors due to its unique genetic makeup and metabolic processes. This ability allows the microbes to survive on air, water, and sunlight alone.
A team of researchers, including Washington University professor William B. McKinnon and associate professor Andrew Dombard, propose that Iapetus had a sub-satellite created by a giant impact, which eventually broke apart and formed the ridge. The study suggests that tidal forces played a crucial role in shaping the moon's unique feature.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new metal complex that can convert methane into ethane, a crucial step towards building longer-chain hydrocarbons as alternative energy sources. This breakthrough could pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable method of producing fuels from greenhouse gases.
Researchers propose a novel approach to prevent both unintended pregnancies and HIV transmission by utilizing nanoparticles that carry melittin, a toxin derived from honeybee venom. The nanobees will target and destroy sperm and HIV cells through a fusion process.
A team of researchers has uncovered well-dated human fossils in southern China, pushing back the known emergence of modern humans by at least 60,000 years. The discovery indicates that early modern humans co-existed with late archaic humans for tens of millennia across Eurasia.
Washington University in St. Louis has achieved the world's first full certification under the Living Building Challenge, a rigorous green building performance standard. The 2,900-square-foot facility is powered by clean energy and incorporates nontoxic materials.
A study found that invasive bush honeysuckle substantially increases the risk of human disease by providing a habitat for deer to congregate, allowing ticks to spread diseases. The research suggests that this effect may be seen with other invasive plants as well.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine discovered a new drug target that can improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for hard-to-treat cancers. The enzyme cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) promotes tumor angiogenesis, enabling tumors to overcome radiation effects.
A team of researchers, led by Patrick Crowley, is working on a new Internet architecture that focuses on named data networking. This approach aims to reduce redundant network traffic and improve security, enabling the connection of a large number of wireless and mobile devices.