Life, Earth and Space
Vanderbilt biologists test evolutionary theories with novel empirical study of ‘cheater’ mitochondria
Sep. 25, 2020—Studying “cheater” and “cooperative” mitochondria under environmental pressure delivers solid evolutionary conclusions in a longstanding theoretical field.
Two exoplanet discoveries offer new understanding of Earth’s formation and future
Sep. 16, 2020—During a summer of exoplanet discoveries, astronomer Keivan Stassun helps identify new worlds and expand understanding of our own.
Vanderbilt astrophysicist part of international team that discovered a gargantuan ‘alien’ black hole that challenges previous knowledge of the universe
Sep. 2, 2020—The intermediate-mass black hole first observed in May 2019 presents an entirely new category of black hole.
Neanderthal DNA contributes to genetic diversity, bringing more understanding to human evolution
Jul. 31, 2020—New research shows surprising effects of interbreeding between Neanderthals and ancestors of some modern humans.
Vanderbilt, The Ohio State University are joint Founding Members of satellite mission ‘Twinkle’ to find potentially habitable worlds around nearby stars
Jul. 23, 2020—Following the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, Vanderbilt astronomer Keivan Stassun leads the next phase of discovery to find atmospheres like our own.
Geochemical analysis from the last ice age may hold clues for future climate change and preparedness strategies
Jul. 14, 2020—Paleoclimatologist Jessica Oster uses geological clues from stalagmites to explore implications for future climate change.
To find giant black holes, start with Jupiter
Jun. 30, 2020—On a quest to find the Universe’s largest black holes, Vanderbilt researcher identifies the center of the solar system within 100 meters.
International collaboration draws new conclusions about ‘convergent evolution’ of saber-tooth cats
Jun. 26, 2020—International collaboration shows that marsupial saber-tooth cats were more closely related to possums than fearsome predators.
Vanderbilt astronomers among NASA’s TESS Mission team to discover a rare newly formed planet
Jun. 24, 2020—Stars mapped out by Vanderbilt astronomers for exploration by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission and recently decommissioned Spitzer Space Telescope have led to the discovery of AU Mic b, a newly formed Neptune-like exoplanet located a relatively short 31.9 light-years away.
Unexpected mammal provides insight into the lives of ancient hominins
Jun. 11, 2020—Paleontologist and associate professor of biological sciences Larisa DeSantis finds answers about early hominin diets are with an unrelated group of mammals—tapirs.
New discovery shows infection of the lungs can be caused by hybrid fungi
Jun. 4, 2020—A team of scientists at Vanderbilt has discovered the first known instance of a hybrid fungal species causing aspergillosis, an ensemble of different types of lung infections that often impacts immune-compromised people.
Vanderbilt lab develops app for analyzing crowd-sourced songbird recordings
Apr. 20, 2020—With a new app from a team at Vanderbilt, birdsong researchers can better leverage crowdsourced fieldwork and audio recordings from amateur birders and citizen songbird scientists.