Category: Published Science Articles

When Rebecca Messbarger, the daughter of Irish-Catholic parents, announced to her family at the age of nineteen that she was going to “become Italian,” neither she nor they envisioned that she would one day organize an international conference on a little known pope who was a major shaper of the Italian Enlightenment.

The conference, to be hosted jointly at the end of April by Washington University, Saint Louis University, and the Missouri Historical Society will bring together European and American scholars to discuss and interpret the accomplishments of “The Enlightenment Pope: Benedict XIV (1675-1758).”  It is the first conference in the United States ever to be devoted to this historic figure.

The conference is an offshoot of Messbarger’s studies of women in the Italian Enlightenment, and especially of one woman, Anna Morandi Manzolini. Messbarger’s 2010 book on this artist, “The Lady Anatomist: The Life and Work of Anna Morandi Manzolini” has received international attention. It has been nominated for the Charles Rufus Morey Book Award honoring “an especially distinguished book in the history of art.”

Continue reading Women, science and Pope Benedict XIV

One third of Missouri (15 million acres) is covered by forest.  This forest is highly important to the state, both ecologically and economically, but is in danger from at least three exotic insect pests.

The European gypsy moth, the emerald ash borer, and the walnut twig beetle could wreak havoc on great numbers of trees.  They seem to be headed our way. Actually, according to Perry Eckhardt, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urban forester, most experts expect that attack by these pests is inevitable. Fortunately, state and federal agencies have extensive programs in place to monitor appearances of these pests and to try to combat them if they establish footholds.

Continue reading Insect pests threaten Missouri’s forests and urban landscapes

For the first time, the venerable international Explorers Club will present its prestigious Lowell Thomas awards in St. Louis at a gala dinner on October 15.  The awards, established in honor of the journalist and broadcaster who made Lawrence of Arabia famous, have been given in New York since their establishment in 1980.

The St. Louis chapter of the Explorers Club, working closely with St. Louis Academy of Science, is sponsoring the event.  Titled “Exploring the World’s Greatest Mysteries,” the festivities will take place from October 14-16.  The awards dinner and a scientific symposium are open to the public.

“Considering the nearby discovery of Cahokia Mounds, and St. Louis’ role as home base for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the city is a fitting location for our first awards dinner outside of New York, “ said Lorie Karnath, president of the Explorers Club and Rolex Watch, USA.

Members of the Explorers Club, founded in 1904 by illustrious explorers of the time, have accomplished a number of ‘firsts.’  Among them are firsts to both north and south poles, first to the summit of Mount Everest, and first to the surface of the moon.

Continue reading Prestigious Lowell Thomas awards will be presented for first time in St. Louis

Diarrhea kills nearly two million children under the age of five each year.  It is the world’s second leading cause of death in this age group.  Most of the affected children live in developing countries, and have limited access to clean water and modern medical facilities.

“When children in this country develop severe diarrhea and become lethargic, their parents can take them to the emergency room for IV fluids,” explains Pete Ruminski, executive director of Saint Louis University’s Center for World Health and Medicine.  “Even if the diarrhea isn’t severe enough for hospitalization, pediatricians routinely replenish fluid and electrolytes with Gatorade or its equivalent dissolved in clean water.”

Diarrhea can have many causes.  Cholera often accompanies major disasters.  Infection by amoeba, viruses such as rotavirus, and parasites like giardia all result in the cramping and loss of water and electrolytes in this potentially lethal syndrome.  The bacterial E. coli epidemic that has recently sickened thousands of Europeans has diarrhea as one of its manifestations.

Except for opiates, the main drug available to treat the symptoms of diarrhea is Immodium.  Immodium keeps the large intestine from contracting, but is not recommended for use in young children.

Continue reading Former Pfizer researchers work together to fight diarrhea in developing nations

Phil Needleman relishes his new role as Interim President and CBO of the Saint Louis Science Center.

“What’s good about an interim president is that it means change,” he exults.  “It is the death of ‘the way we’ve always done it.'”

Having just finished another stint as interim head of an institution—nearly two years at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center– he knows whereof he speaks.

According to Sam Fiorello, COO of the Danforth Center, he left that research institute in better shape than when he came.

Needleman has lost none of his gusto for anything to do with science since he first came to St. Louis in 1964 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at Washington University Medical School.  His enthusiasm—always conveyed with a wide smile and his St. Louis-tempered Brooklyn accent—has shaped the environment of in all of his workplaces.

He spent 25 years at Washington U, leaving his position as Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology to become Chief Scientist at Monsanto.  The move to industry was prompted by what he felt was a unique opportunity to follow his research all the way from basic science through development and eventual marketing of a drug.

Continue reading Scientist thrives on challenge and change