Research

Early motor experiences can shape infants’ preferences for objects and faces, new research indicates. The study supports evidence that early motor development and experiences contribute to infants’ understanding of their world and implies that when motor skills are delayed or impaired – as in autism – future social interactions could be negatively impacted. Read More

New details about a host mechanism that fights off HIV may reveal strategies for therapies to treat or prevent HIV infection. Read More

The pattern of hearing loss across sound frequencies affects the benefit from hearing aids. Read More

Thomas Schwartz Thomas Schwartz, professor of history, recently responded to an interview request from a journalist in São Paulo, Brazil, about the lasting political impacts of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Professor Schwartz’s responses provide a concise overview of the lasting impact of a day… Read More

There is a list, famous among astronomers, of 110 faint objects in the night sky, first cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century. A “Messier marathon” is when astronomers begin at dusk and work until dawn, hoping to locate every single one, searching amid the field of… Read More

Scanning electron micrograph of a Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus colony by Perrin Ireland. Art and science are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, these two important fields of human endeavor often draw from and inspire each other. Think Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin. A 21st century version of this cross-fertilization currently… Read More

How the brain is wired to control impulsive behavior differs significantly from what psychologists have thought, new research finds. Read More

In addition to her high school diploma, Aziza Hart earned an unusual honor this spring – her first scientific paper was published in a new Vanderbilt University journal, Young Scientist. Hart, who graduated from Nashville’s Glencliff High School, spent part of her senior year in a Vanderbilt laboratory, studying… Read More

A team led by Vanderbilt University biomedical engineer Michael Miga has been awarded a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to enhance image-guided surgery techniques for safely removing liver tumors. Read More

Patrick Fischer, who helped build the Department of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, died Aug. 26 in hospice care in Montgomery County, Md. He was 75. Read More

The antibiotics of the future could take a page from the immune system’s playbook – and “starve” bacteria of the nutrients they need. Read More

A regulatory loop in zebrafish may explain how the right and left sides of our brains take on different functions. Read More

Vanderbilt University has been awarded a $4.85 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to manage the newly established MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience. Read More

Last week when the Nashville Scene’s annual Innovations Issue hit the newsstands, three of its ten “forward-thinking ideas that are pushing Nashville – and the world – into the future” came from Vanderbilt. The three campus projects that impressed the Scene editors were: Digging for Drugs:… Read More

Despite the uncertainties surrounding climate change, it is time to start developing effective strategies to keep the nation’s transportation systems and other critical infrastructure running. Read More

Preschool teachers’ use of sophisticated vocabulary and analytic talk about books, combined with early support for literacy in the home, can predict fourth-grade reading comprehension and word recognition. Read More

Researchers have discovered how key proteins are “turned on” and transmit signals inside the cell. The discovery could lead to new, more effective drugs. Read More

Geographic information systems and geospatial technologies have moved into math and science courses at multiple levels, and teachers are learning how to integrate these tools into curriculums. Read More

A new lower-limb prosthetic uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities. Read More

A certain signaling pathway could be key to improving cardiac repair after a heart attack. Read More