Research

Vanderbilt researchers describe a new technique for identifying factors that stimulate the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells – factors that might offer therapeutic options for diabetes. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that variation in the gene encoding the potassium channel GIRK1 plays a role in modulating human pain perception. Read More

More independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms and improve daily living in adults with the disorder, according to a Vanderbilt study released in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Read More

Two Vanderbilt astronomers are among an international team that has discovered a surprising new class of “hypervelocity stars” – solitary stars moving fast enough to escape the gravitational grasp of the Milky Way galaxy. Read More

An association between rigid-compulsive behaviors and gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder may point to a common biological pathway that impacts both the brain and the gut. Read More

Beyond genetics — that’s the call Oliver McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., heard during the year between college and medical school he spent in a lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Read More

Members of Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development faculty were named in the 2014 Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings, which recognizes university-based academics who are contributing substantially to public debates about K-12 and higher education. Read More

Insider trading may be too engrained in the financial system in transactions such as credit default swaps to make banning it feasible, says a Vanderbilt law professor. Read More

Preschool-aged children require the majority of their waking day to achieve their recommended daily physical activity, a Vanderbilt study published in Obesity found. Read More

Robert Barsky (Vanderbilt) The Institute for Advanced Studies is seeking proposals for its upcoming conference “Shifting Attitudes: Radical Upheaval and its Legacies,” planned for June 19 and 20, 2014, in Toulouse, France. The conference’s keynote addresses will be presented by Yann Algan (Sciences-Po Paris) and Elise Snyder… Read More

A new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed antidepressants prescribed to children and adolescents. Read More

Gifted children are likely to be the next generation's innovators and leaders—yet the exceptionally smart are often invisible in the classroom, according to a 30-year study conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt's Peabody College. Read More

Sheri Wilner, an emerging playwright whose work has been performed all over the United States, will spend the spring semester as the Fred Coe Playwright-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University. Read More

New research finds consumers may be just as willing to supersize healthy food as they are fast food if they feel they’re getting a deal. Read More

"Vanderbilt University stands with its Association of American Universities colleagues in opposing a boycott of Israeli academic institutions as proposed by the American Studies Association," said Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos in a Dec. 31 statement. Read More

The Mellon Partners for Humanities Education initiative will support specialized training for new Vanderbilt Ph.D.s in preparing students for teaching at liberal arts colleges and historically black colleges and universities, as well as provide education regarding public and digital humanities. Read More

A recent survey of 1,000 parents with children between 2 and 10 found that many planned to give their kids tech instead of toys for the holidays. M. Eric Johnson, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, has studied the toy industry and is quoted. Read More

A new way of assembling things, called metamaterials, may in the not too distant future help to protect a building from earthquakes by bending seismic waves around it, the way invisibility cloaks bend light. Jason Valentine, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is quoted. Read More

This year’s most popular research stories plumbed mysteries of the brain, examined complex social phenomena, shed light on dark matter, uncovered a surprising link between our three greatest health threats and more. Read More

The animated characters in your preschooler’s favorite TV show invite her to interact, play and learn. But is she learning? Only a little, according to a Vanderbilt study. Read More