Chris Woolston

1 month ago | medicalxpress.com | Chris Woolston

If you're anxious about work, finances, the state of the world, or anything else, you might try a moment of mindfulness. Paying close attention to the present moment without judgment—the basic idea behind all mindfulness techniques—can help calm anxiety and improve focus, said Resh Gupta, a postdoctoral research associate with the Mindfulness Science and Practice research cluster. "A lot of research has shown that mindfulness can reduce anxiety symptoms," she said.

1 month ago | eurekalert.org | Chris Woolston

By Chris WoolstonIf you’re anxious about work, finances, the state of the world, or anything else, you might try a moment of mindfulness. Paying close attention to the present moment without judgment — the basic idea behind all mindfulness techniques — can help calm anxiety and improve focus, said Resh Gupta, a postdoctoral research associate with the Mindfulness Science and Practice research cluster.  “A lot of research has shown that mindfulness can reduce anxiety symptoms,” she said.

2 months ago | phys.org | Chris Woolston

A new study led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden has uncovered a surprising layer of diversity in tropical forests. Not only are the forests populated by a dizzying number of tree species, but each of those species takes a different approach to chemistry, increasing the array of natural compounds that provide important functions for the plants—and potentially for humans.

2 months ago | source.washu.edu | Chris Woolston

Are we alone in the universe? The answer to one of humanity’s biggest questions is complicated by a basic reality: If there is life on other worlds, it may not look familiar. A sample of rocks from Mars or another planet almost certainly won’t have recognizable fossils or another similarly obvious sign of living organisms, said Mikhail Tikhonov, an assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis who studies microbial communities.

2 months ago | phys.org | Chris Woolston

Venus—a hot planet pocked with tens of thousands of volcanoes—may be even more geologically active near its surface than previously thought. New calculations by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that the planet's outer crust may be constantly churning, an unexpected phenomenon called convection that could help explain many of the volcanoes and other features of the Venusian landscape.