biological sciences Archives
Abbot’s new book is ‘one-stop destination’ on animal social evolution
Jun. 8, 2018—Patrick Abbot, associate professor of biological sciences, recently published an edited volume entitled "Comparative Social Evolution," an updated companion book to E.O. Wilson’s famous 1975 tome.
Building the tiniest recording studios in Music City to understand vocal learning
Jun. 4, 2018—Humans aren't the only animals who can learn vocal communication from others. By studying the process in zebra finches, we may better understand how it works in humans, too.
Insect gene allows reproductive organs to cope with harmful bacteria
May. 17, 2018—Bordenstein’s team studied Nasonia parasitic wasps, which are about the size of a sesame seed, and they serve as one of the best models to dissect and characterize the evolution of insect genomes.
Unraveling genetic mystery next step in Zika and dengue fight
Apr. 23, 2018—How a bacteria hijacked insect fertility remained a mystery for five decades, until Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Seth Bordenstein and his team helped solve it.
MIT’s Orr-Weaver wraps up spring Discovery Lecture series April 26
Apr. 19, 2018—The spring Flexner Discovery Lecture series wraps up on Thursday, April 26, with a presentation by Terry Orr-Weaver, PhD, professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Three Vanderbilt A&S professors awarded 2018 Guggenheim Fellowships
Apr. 5, 2018—College of Arts and Science professors Joel Harrington, Antonis Rokas and Edward Wright-Rios have been awarded highly prestigious 2018 Guggenheim Fellowships for their research.
Interdisciplinary approach yields new insights into human evolution
Feb. 12, 2018—Vanderbilt biologist Nicole Creanza is the guest editor of a new themed issue of "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B" highlighting interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human evolution.
The 20 most popular research stories of 2017
Dec. 15, 2017—New clues to Alzheimer's disease, helping kids deal with stress, understanding why our universe is three-dimensional and—of course—electric eels all appear in this year's look back on the research stories that were visited the most frequently on Vanderbilt's website in 2017.
Chancellor presents Biological Sciences’ Wiley with Heart and Soul Award
Nov. 8, 2017—Carol Wiley, grant manager for the Department of Biological Sciences and a 17-year veteran of the university, is the latest recipient of the Chancellor’s Heart and Soul Staff Appreciation Award.
Herculano-Houzel featured at (Lunch) Box talk Nov. 1
Oct. 30, 2017—A noted neuroscientist who studies the number of neurons present in the brains of different species, including humans, will discuss her groundbreaking work during a lunchtime talk Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Cell signals that trigger wound healing are surprisingly complex
Oct. 3, 2017—Vanderbilt scientists have taken an important step toward understanding the way in which injured cells trigger wound healing, an insight essential for improving treatments of all types of wounds.
Biologist reaches into electric eel tank, comes out with equation to measure shocks
Sep. 14, 2017—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.