Life, Earth and Space
Developing a modular, nanoparticle drug delivery system
Oct. 5, 2007—There are two aspects to creating an effective drug: finding a chemical compound that has the desired biological effect and minimal side-effects and then delivering it to the right place in the body for it to do its job.
Cockroaches are morons in the morning and geniuses in the evening
Sep. 27, 2007—Dramatic daily variations in the cockroach's learning ability were discovered by a new study performed by Vanderbilt University biologists and published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When proteins, antibodies and other biological molecules kiss, a new kind of biosensor can tell
Sep. 20, 2007—When biological molecules kiss, a new kind of biosensor can tell. A new and deceptively simple technique has been developed by chemists at Vanderbilt University that can measure the interactions between free-floating, unlabeled biological molecules including proteins, sugars, antibodies, DNA and RNA.
Student study bolsters case for adding a rare sunflower to the endangered species list
Sep. 11, 2007—For several months last spring, the Vanderbilt greenhouse held more members of a rare species of native sunflower than are known to exist in the wild.
Advance in effort to fight malaria by tricking the mosquito’s sense of smell
Aug. 30, 2007—By mapping a specialized sensory organ that the malaria mosquito uses to zero in on its human prey, an international team of researchers has taken an important step toward developing new and improved repellants and attractants that can be used to reduce the threat of malaria, generally considered the most prevalent life-threatening disease in the world.
Research brightens prospects for using the world’s smallest candles in medical applications
Jun. 7, 2007—In a way, nanotubes are nature's smallest candles. These tiny tubes are constructed from carbon atoms and they are so small that it takes about 100,000 laid side-by-side to span the width of a single human hair.
Award-winning essay predicts dark energy will be the death of cosmology
May. 24, 2007—Fast forward to a civilization about three trillion years in the future. Astronomers at that time equipped with instruments equal to those of today would likely come to a much different conclusion about the basic nature of the universe, one that harks back to static models that were popular at the turn of the century.
Cosmologically speaking, diamonds may actually be forever
Apr. 25, 2007—If you've ever wondered about the ultimate fate of the universe, Lawrence Krauss and Robert Scherrer have some good news...sort of.
Study uncovers a chemical signal crucial to heart formation
Mar. 27, 2007—A new Vanderbilt University study has identified a chemical signal that plays a critical role in forming the heart, which could lead to new strategies to combat congenital heart defects.
Sloan Foundation awards Vanderbilt physicist for ‘exceptional promise’
Mar. 12, 2007—An assistant professor of physics at Vanderbilt University has won a $45,000 research fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation aimed at encouraging promising young scholars.
Physics Nobel laureate to speak on quarks at Vanderbilt
Mar. 7, 2007— Nobel laureate Jerome Friedman will describe the long and controversial debate about quarks — the smaller particles that make up protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus — during the annual Francis G. Slack Lecture on Friday, March 16.