earth and environmental sciences
Evidence suggests climate whiplash may have more extremes in store for California
Feb. 24, 2021—Vanderbilt paleoclimatologists deploy first calcium isotope analysis of North American stalagmite to show how past weather extremes may predict events in California.
Analysis of ancient teeth reveal clues about how sociopolitical systems grow
Dec. 15, 2020—Isotope analysis of ancient Peruvian teeth gives anthropologists a clearer image of how cooperating societies function.
NASA-funded project uses images from space to study underwater volcanoes
Nov. 18, 2020—Interdisciplinary Earth scientists explore how little-understood underwater volcanoes affect the atmosphere.
Vanderbilt paleontologists host National Fossil Day event for kids Oct. 10
Oct. 2, 2020—Kids and lifelong learners can hear directly from paleontologists about bizarre creatures of the past during a free virtual National Fossil Day event on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. CT. Registration is required.
Vanderbilt scientists awarded NSF grant to examine the future of international shipping in the Arctic Ocean
Sep. 11, 2020—Comparing risk of shipping along the Arctic and the Suez Canal through 2100 scientists weigh factors including climate change in their calculations.
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.
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.
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.
Virtual Gatherings: Grad student in Earth & Environmental Sciences keeps group hangouts on schedule
Apr. 10, 2020—When COVID-19 threw a wrench in their plans for meeting up in person, graduate students in Earth and Environmental Sciences decided to take their weekly hangout online.
Bangladesh collaboration offers lessons for facing rapid environmental changes
Feb. 24, 2020—With a population of roughly 150 million people, the delta country of Bangladesh holds about half the population of the entire United States in an area the size of Louisiana, and exists under a near-constant risk of sea level rise and other dynamic climate changes. Now, as the world faces a future chock-full of increasing...
Where are the quokkas? New study explains what happened to the “happiest animal in the world”
Feb. 21, 2020—The quokka, a small marsupial native to Australia, is an example of a species vulnerable to extinction in the country’s harsh surroundings. In a new study, researchers at Vanderbilt University demonstrate evidence for the dramatic decline of quokkas over the past century.
New thalattosaur species discovered in Southeast Alaska
Feb. 4, 2020—Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Vanderbilt University have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago.