Life, Earth And Space
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New research on Fragile X syndrome reinforces importance of early detection
New insights into the long-lasting effects of Fragile X syndrome on connections in the brain during early development highlight the importance of early detection and treatment. Read MoreAug 25, 2017
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Sugars in human mother’s milk are non-toxic antibacterial agents
A new study has found that sugars in mother's' milk do not just provide nutrition for babies but also help protect them from bacterial infections. Read MoreAug 20, 2017
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Deciphering potent DNA toxin’s secrets
Vanderbilt researchers uncover the secret of the remarkable potency of the DNA toxin yatakemycin, which could someday be harnessed to fight cancer. Read MoreAug 1, 2017
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Multitasking monolayers
Scientists have discovered a natural process that makes patterned monolayers suitable for creating a wide variety of novel materials with dual optical, magnetic, catalytic or sensing capabilities. Read MoreJul 21, 2017
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Decoding ants’ coat of many odors
A team of biologists report a major advance in deciphering the molecular genetics underlying the ant's high-definition sense of smell, an ability that underpins their highly complex society. Read MoreJul 10, 2017
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Reverse engineering mysterious 500 million-year-old fossils that confound our tree of life
In "The Conversation," Vanderbilt paleontologist Simon Darroch explains how computational fluid dynamics can help researchers understand some of the earliest life on Earth. Read MoreJun 21, 2017
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Wet and stormy weather lashed California coast…8,200 years ago
A study of stalagmite records from the White Moon Cave in the Santa Cruz Mountains finds the California coast was lashed by exceptionally wet and stormy weather for 150 years...8,200 years ago. Read MoreJun 20, 2017
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Vanderbilt evolutionary biologist makes finals of a national award for young scientists
Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor in Biological Sciences Antonis Rokas has been selected as a finalist for the $250,000 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Read MoreJun 6, 2017
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Astronomers discover exoplanet hotter than most stars
Astronomers at Vanderbilt and Ohio State have discovered a planet like Jupiter zipping around its host star every day, boiling at temperatures hotter than most stars with a giant cometary tail. Read MoreJun 5, 2017
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Climate change took away ancient animals’ food supply; holds implications for today’s wildlife
Analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on megafauna diets and was a primary factor in their extinction. Read MoreJun 2, 2017
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Vanderbilt researchers studying Bangladesh for harbinger of climate change impact
An island off the nation's coast demonstrates land use mismanagement can be far more damaging than rising sea levels. Read MoreJun 2, 2017
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Life in the Precambrian may have been much livelier than previously thought
An interdisciplinary study suggests the strange creatures that lived in the Garden of the Ediacaran more than 540 million years ago may have been much more dynamic than experts have thought. Read MoreMay 18, 2017
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Puffy planet provides opportunity for testing alien worlds for signs of life
Astronomers from Vanderbilt, Lehigh and Ohio State universities have discovered a “puffy planet" with the density of Styrofoam that is an excellent test-bed for probing exoplanets for signs of life. Read MoreMay 18, 2017
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Wisecaver named Vanderbilt ‘Postdoc of the Year’
Accomplished postdocs and faculty "Mentor of the Year" honored at annual Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and Shared Resources Symposium April 19. Read MoreApr 21, 2017
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The tale teeth tell about the legendary man-eating lions of Tsavo
Analysis of the microscopic wear on the teeth of three man-eating lions reveals that painful dental disease may have been what drove the cats to hunt humans instead of larger prey. Read MoreApr 19, 2017
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New method for tapping vast plant pharmacopeia to make more effective drugs
Geneticists have developed an effective new method for identifying the genes that produce the chemicals plants use to protect themselves from predators, which are an important natural drug source. Read MoreApr 14, 2017
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Forget sponges: the earliest animals were marine jellies
A powerful new method has been devised to settle contentious phylogenetic tree-of-life issues. such as "What is the oldest branch of the animal family tree?" Read MoreApr 10, 2017
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State commends tennessine discoverers
On March 27, Tennessee state Sen. Ken Yager presented a resolution commending physicists from Vanderbilt, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville for discovering a new element and naming it tennessine. Read MoreMar 29, 2017
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‘Flying saucer’ quantum dots hold secret to better, brighter lasers
Vanderbilt University chemists collaborated in research that ‘squashes’ the shape of nanoparticles to create inexpensive lasers that continuously emit light in a customizable rainbow of colors. Read MoreMar 20, 2017
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For female mosquitoes, two sets of odor sensors are better than one
A team of Vanderbilt biologists has found that the malaria mosquito has a second complete set of odor receptors that are specially tuned to human scents. Read MoreMar 15, 2017