News in Greece: 12 great Greek minds in foreign universities (photos)
Greeks often pride themselves on producing scientists and brilliant minds that distinguish themselves in academia abroad at the highest levels. Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos is featured in this list of 12 of the most prominent bright minds that came out of Greece and are offering their insight and services to foreign educational institutions.
Washington Post: ‘Clinging on for grim death’: Fossils show ancient animals might have caused a mass extinction
Newly discovered fossils from Namibia represent a clash between two worlds: the end of the Ediacaran period and the beginning of the Cambrian. Scientists at Vanderbilt University believe the fossils are convincing evidence that this overlap resulted in one of the earliest mass extinctions—if not the first among animals. Lead author Simon Darroch, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, is quoted.
USA Today: National Institutes of Health launches first clinical trial of Zika vaccine
As health officials work to contain the country’s first Zika outbreak, centered in a Miami neighborhood, scientists at the National Institutes of Health announced on Wednesday the launch of a clinical trial of an experimental Zika vaccine. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy, is quoted.
ABC News: Common meds Olympic athletes must forego to avoid testing positive for doping
Olympic athletes may spend years planning, training and preparing for that elusive chance at winning a gold medal, but they can risk losing it all by taking something as seemingly innocuous as a common cold medication on the day of the competition. In fact common drugs, including some flu and ADHD medications, can be off-limits as well, according to the World Anti-Doping Association. Andrew Gregory, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, pediatrics and neurological surgery, is quoted.
U.S. News & World Report: Gay-straight alliances make schools safer, study finds
In schools that have formed gay-straight alliances, LGBTQ students report significantly fewer incidences of bullying based on gender expression or sexual orientation, according to a study by Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. Lead author Robert Marx, a Peabody doctoral student, and co-author Heather Hensman Kettrey, a research associate at Peabody Research Institute, are quoted.
NPR: ‘Guilty but mentally ill’ doesn’t protect against harsh sentences
In light of John Hinckley Jr.’s release from a mental institution 35 years after attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, NPR’s “Shots” is exploring the use of the not guilty by reason of insanity plea, talking with legal and medical professionals about how the plea works, and how it doesn’t work. This second in the four-part series looks at how juries respond to insanity defenses. Christopher Slobogin, Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.