the ampersand

Americans prefer economic inequality to playing Robin Hood, study finds

Given the chance to play Robin Hood, most Americans show little interest in taking from the rich and giving to the poor. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may explain why it’s so hard for voters in modern democracies to erase the economic inequalities that separate most citizens from the nation’s super-wealthy elites.

Creating a new generation of educators

Global warming focus of 2018 McDonnell lecture

S. George Philander, one of the world’s leading experts on climate and the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, will deliver two talks March 28 and 29 as part of the McDonnell Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis’ McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences.

‘How We Listen Shapes How We View the World’: The Radio Drama in Post-WWII Germany

Caroline Kita explores the role of radio dramas in shaping West Germany’s new democracy after World War II.

Patti installed as inaugural Powell Professor

Gary Patti has been named the Michael and Tana Powell Associate Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis.

‘How We Listen Shapes How We View the World’: The Radio Drama in Post-WWII Germany

In the decades after World War II, the citizens of West Germany and Austria tuned in to narrative radio dramas, or Hörspiel, to reckon with their fascist past and imagine their democratic future, says German studies scholar Caroline Kita.

Keeping plant-cell motors on track

In a growing plant cell, motor proteins called kinesins work as transporters that haul materials built in one part of the cell to the place where they are needed. Now, biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the molecular brakeman that holds kinesins in check until their cargo is needed.

McDaniel named to Macmillan Learning advisory council

Mark McDaniel, professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, is one of three leading experts in cognitive and learning sciences appointed as permanent members of a Learning Research Advisory Council formed by Macmillan Learning.