Focus: Hidden - Missouri

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Retailers didn't realize offering different prices to consumers actually could backfire — until researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, UCLA and Alibaba had the data to show it. Using data from 100 million Alibaba customers who shopped at 11,000 retailers over 1 month in 2016, the researchers looked at consumers who left products — carrying special price promotions — untouched in their online shopping carts for more than 24 hours. The results were surprising.

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Two groups of sRNAs are abundant during development of pollen in the anthers. One of these pathways for sRNA production, previously believed present in grasses and related monocots, has now been demonstrated to be present widely in the flowering plants, evolved over 200 million years ago, and is arguably one of the evolutionary innovations that made them so successful.

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A drop of rainwater that falls on a cassava field in Uganda takes a different path than one that falls 500 miles east in Somalia. Knowing where rain comes from now, and where it might come from under future climate scenarios, is important for the millions of people who rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. Research from Washington University in St Louis offers a new tool for tracking the rainwater race.

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While Trump’s legacy may indeed hinge on his ability to overcome partisan differences, ongoing research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that most U.S. presidents are destined to fade quickly from the nation’s collective memory.

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Prehistoric peasant farmers struggling to put more food on the table fueled the global spread of some of the world’s first and most important domesticated grain crops beginning as early as 7,000 years ago, according to an international study led by anthropologists at Washington University in St. Louis.

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One in four older adults experiences delirium after surgery. In an attempt to change that, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis closely monitoring brain activity during surgery and minimized anesthesia dosage if needed. But it had no significant effect on the occurrence of delirium.

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Women's brains appear to be three years younger than men's of the same age, according to a study of brain metabolism by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings could explain why women maintain their cognitive skills longer than men.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may have found a path toward improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy in people with breast or ovarian cancer caused by defects in one of the BRCA genes. The researchers identified a pair of genes that operate in parallel to BRCA and may increase susceptibility to chemotherapy drugs.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered clues to a particularly deadly form of rejection that can follow lung transplantation. Called antibody-mediated rejection, the condition remains impervious to available treatments and difficult to diagnose. The researchers have identified, in mice, a process that may prevent the condition and lead to possible therapies to treat it.

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With paper-weight wings and spindly legs, the mosquito hardly seems built to handle the cold. The secret to its survival is eggs built to withstand freezing temperatures. Even if some eggs die off during extreme cold, mosquito populations rebound quickly. The same holds true for ticks that can wait out a cold snap far below a forest’s layer of leaves.

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Children who have more conflict in relationships with their mothers during early years of elementary school may find it more difficult to find a sense of purpose in life as they reach adulthood, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

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A new study led by Danforth Center principal investigator Nigel Taylor and research scientist Narayanan Narayanan, shows that field-grown cassava plants overexpressing a combination of plant genes can accumulate significantly higher concentrations of iron and zinc.

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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s plan to release bond funds to support bridge repair across the state comes as welcome news to researchers at Missouri S&T, home to a federal initiative to develop new robotic tools to inspect and preserve bridges and other infrastructure.Missouri S&T researchers are in the midst of a five-year effort to develop new technologies to inspect and maintain bridges and portions of highway.

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A study in mice and people from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that sleep deprivation causes tau levels to rise and tau tangles to spread through the brain. Tau tangles are associated with Alzheimer's disease and brain damage.

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The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and TechAccel are launching RNAissance Ag LLC, a new company that holds the exclusive license to RNA-interference technology developed at the Danforth Center. The new company will use the proprietary technology in the development of sprayable insect control measures.

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Hotter temperatures may offset the negative effects of higher carbon dioxide levels on seed quality, according to a two-year soybean field study.

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A simple blood test reliably detects signs of brain damage in people on the path to developing Alzheimer’s disease – even before they show signs of confusion and memory loss, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

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Engineers have created a bacteria-filtering membrane using graphene oxide and bacterial nanocellulose. It's highly efficient, long-lasting and environmentally friendly — and could provide clean water for those in need.

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Purple rice is a whole grain with high levels of antioxidants -- and high levels of genetic diversity, thanks to traditional farming practices, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

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SLU scientists and their colleagues have found that oolong tea can damage breast cancer cells and inhibit the growth and progression of tumors in the lab, potentially offering a non-toxic strategy to prevent breast cancer.