Life, Earth And Space

Ken Catania stuck his arm into a tank with an electric eel 10 times -- the only way to get accurate measurements of the circuit created by animal, arm and water. Read More

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 More

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 More

Vanderbilt researchers uncover the secret of the remarkable potency of the DNA toxin yatakemycin, which could someday be harnessed to fight cancer. Read More

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 More

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 More

In "The Conversation," Vanderbilt paleontologist Simon Darroch explains how computational fluid dynamics can help researchers understand some of the earliest life on Earth. Read More

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 More

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 More

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 More

Analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on megafauna diets and was a primary factor in their extinction. Read More

An island off the nation's coast demonstrates land use mismanagement can be far more damaging than rising sea levels. Read More

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 More

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 More

Accomplished postdocs and faculty "Mentor of the Year" honored at annual Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and Shared Resources Symposium April 19. Read More

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 More

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 More

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 More

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 More

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 More