research videos

Smart underwear prevents back stress with just a tap

Aug. 1, 2017—"Performance-boosting super suit" hidden under clothing can be activated by a double tap to save users' backs.

This microscopy photo demonstrates penetration of a fluorescent-labeled siRNA-L2 vs. synthetic nanoparticles into a three-dimensional tumor sample. (Vanderbilt University)

Hijacking human proteins to better deliver anti-cancer drugs

Jul. 24, 2017—Vanderbilt University engineers find existing human protein is ideal carrier for powerful molecules that can signal tumors to self-destruct.

Ultrathin device harvests electricity from human motion

Jul. 21, 2017—A new energy harvesting system developed at Vanderbilt University can generate electrical current from the full range of human motions and is thin enough to embed in clothing.

Decoding ants’ coat of many odors

Jul. 10, 2017—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.

Acrylic colors and ink in water. Abstract background.

Cotton candy capillaries lead to circuit boards that dissolve when cooled

Jun. 26, 2017—Leon Bellan made a dissolving circuit board that, so far, just turns on an LED light. Its potential applications are far more promising.

VU Inside: Cut the noise! New research making hospital alarms smarter and quieter

May. 2, 2017—VUMC anesthesiologist Joseph Schlesinger is teaming up with undergrads in neuroscience and biomedical engineering to make hospital alarms better, quieter and easier to work with.

Black and white photo of nurse and child in hospital from the 1960s

Early experience with federal health coverage suggests how future Medicaid reforms may work

Feb. 1, 2017—Proposed Medicaid reforms are similar to the capped federal financing system in place during the '50s and early '60s, when states generally reimbursed a much smaller proportion of health care for the needy.

Illustration of giant lizard fighting off a giant bear-like marsupial

Climate change helped kill off super-sized Ice Age animals in Australia

Jan. 26, 2017—A new study has compared the diet of a variety of Australian megafaunal herbivores from the period when they were widespread (350,000 to 570,000 years ago) to a period when they were in decline (30,000 to 40,000 years ago) by studying their fossil teeth. The analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on their diets and may well have been a primary factor in their extinction.

Access to health care strengthens communities: Vanderbilt study

Jan. 16, 2017—A new study shows that access to health insurance can help hold a community together socially, and lack of it can contribute to the fraying of neighborhood cohesion. The study, Beyond Health Effects? Examining the Social Consequences of Community Levels of Uninsurance Pre-ACA, published by the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, is an effort...

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