Article looks at another David Page contribution to the science of genetics.
A weakness in the system that allows the male Y chromosome to protect and repair itself can explain an array of genetic sexual disorders.:
The palindromes were discovered in 2003 when the Y chromosome's sequence of bases, represented by the familiar letters G, C, T and A, was first worked out by David Page of the Whitehead Institute and colleagues at the DNA sequencing center at WUSTL medical school.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — New Clues to Sex Anomalies in How Y Chromosomes Are Copied in the The New York Times

Researchers led by WUSTL anthropology professor Crickette Sanz in the Republic of Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki National Park said they have discovered chimpanzees that have developed specialized "tool sets" to forage for army ants.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Chimps use 'tool kits' to gather army ants in the United Press International

and 3 others.

New Swiss research published in Science suggests that young animals may have a mechanism that allows them to jettison traumatic memories, but experts say it's unclear whether humans of any age can do the same. Includes comments by WUSTL psychology professor and memory specialist Mark McDaniel.

References:

1. Sept. 4, 2009 — Young Animals May Be Able to Erase Bad Memories in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 5 others.

Sharon Begley reports on new data in the debate on neurobiology and whether we are wired to believe in God.
In a paper last month in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, Gregory Paul posits that, rather than being wired into the brain, religion is a way to cope with stress in a dysfunctional society -- the opium-of-the-people argument.
She mentions research by WUSTL anthropology professor Pascal Boyer.

References:

1. Aug. 13, 2009 — (Un)wired For God in the Newsweek

U.S. and Canadian scientists say data from human fossils suggest a shift in animal resource exploitation as humans spread into Europe 40,000 years ago.
There is little evidence for the regular eating of fish by the Neanderthals, but early humans consistently consumed fish, supplementing their diet.
This study by WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus a Canadian colleague was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

References:

1. Aug. 11, 2009 — Early human European diets studied in the United Press International

and 4 others.

Technological and computational advances have enabled researchers to image the brain's wrinkled exterior in stunning detail, mapping the size and shape of each fold. Scientists pursuing this new discipline of "cortical cartography'' expect it to yield insights into how the brain develops and what happens when things go awry. WUSTL neurobiologist David Van Essen comments.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Unfolding the mysteries of the brain in the The Boston Globe

On Mars, NASA's robot rover Spirit is spinning its wheels on the soft shoulder of planetary exploration, up to its axles in silt millions of miles away from tense engineers who are struggling to extricate it by remote control. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the project deputy principal investigator.

References:

1. July 17, 2009 — For Mars Rover, Really Remote Roadside Assistance in the The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. and China are exploring new ways to bridge U.S. moon exploration plans with China. Includes comments from WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

References:

1. April 16, 2009 — U.S. Astronauts Might Hitch Rides on Chinese Spacecraft in the Space.com

Even today, scientists say that human beings are continuing to evolve as our genes respond to rapid changes in the world around us. WUSTL anthropology professor Robert Sussman comments.

References:

1. April 13, 2009 — Modern life's pressures may be hastening human evolution in the Miami Herald online

and 23 others.

Their 90-day warranty expired awhile ago, but NASA's twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still trundling along the Martian surface en route to their next destinations more than five years after landing on the red planet. But just how long they can keep going is anyone's guess. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — What lies in store for the Mars rovers? in the MSNBC.com

and 1 others.

A study just published in Nature has found that the Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought. This finding provides insight into how magmas are formed and will lead to better models of continental collision and the formation of mountain belts. The NSF study was co-authored by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Anne Hofmeister.

References:

1. March 19, 2009 — Earth's Crust Melts Easier Than Previously Thought in the ScienceDaily.com

and 1 others.

A discovery of microscopic diamonds a few feet beneath the surface of North America reveals that a comet caused a cataclysm of fire, flood and devastation nearly 13,000 years ago, scientists said. Includes comments by WUSTL physicist Tyrone Daulton.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Diamonds show comet struck North America, scientists say in the Los Angeles Times

and 1 others.

Data from the now-defunct NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is shedding light on the current water cycle on Mars, particularly how water moves between the surface and the atmosphere in the northern polar region. It has a very active weather environment. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the lead scientist for Phoenix's robotic arm, comments.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Lander data sheds light on Mars polar water in the MSNBC.com

and 1 others.

NASA is still unable to say for sure whether its Phoenix lander has found a place where life could have existed on Mars. In addition to analyzing ice and soil samples for organic material, a process that is still under way, the Phoenix science team collected daily weather reports, information considered critical to learning if the planet could have supported water long enough for life to evolve. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who served as the lead scientist for the lander's robotic arm.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Phoenix probe sheds new light on Mars weather in the Toronto Star (Canada)

and 21 others.

New research, published Dec. 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is now shedding some light on what were probably the last Neanderthals. The research is based on a study of human fossils found during the past decade in Spain by Michael Walker, professor at Universidad de Murcia, and colleagues, and published by Walker, WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus, and colleagues.

References:

1. Dec. 8, 2008 — Late Neandertals and Modern Human Contact in Southeastern Iberia in the ScienceDaily.com

and 2 others.

New research suggests human aerial bombardments might have pushed Neanderthals to extinction. However, WUSTL paleoanthropologist Erik Trinkaus doubts that projectile weapons played a major role in human culture before about 25,000 years ago and the extinction of Neanderthals.

References:

1. Nov. 20, 2008 — Were Neanderthals stoned to death by modern humans? in the New Scientist (UK)

NASA declared an end to the Phoenix mission on Monday, some five months after the spacecraft became the first to land in Mars' arctic plains and taste water on another planet. "It's always a sad situation to not be able to communicate with it, but it lived beyond its warranty," said mission scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

References:

1. Nov. 10, 2008 — NASA says Phoenix Mars mission has ended in the Associated Press

and 112 others.

In Nature Neuroscience, scientists at WUSTL medical school and at the U. of Chieti, Italy report that a simple decision-making task does not involve the frontal lobes, where many of the higher aspects of human cognition are thought to originate. Instead, the regions that decide are the same brain regions that receive stimuli relevant to the decision and control the body's response to it.

References:

1. Nov. 10, 2008 — Simple Brain Mechanisms Explain Arbitrary Human Visual Decisions in the ScienceDaily.com

and 12 others.

NASA engineers still hope to rouse a slumbering Phoenix lander and wring the last science out of the mission to Mars' North Pole. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor and mission scientist Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. Nov. 4, 2008 — NASA sends 'please wake up' call to Phoenix lander in the USA Today

In a race against time and the elements, engineers with NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission hope to extend the lander's survival by gradually shutting down some of its instruments and heaters. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the robotic arm's co-investigator, comments.

References:

1. Oct. 29, 2008 — NASA's Phoenix Mission Faces Survival Challenges in the ScienceDaily.com

and 15 others.