featured research Archives
Puffy planet provides opportunity for testing alien worlds for signs of life
May. 18, 2017—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.
Data in the cloud: What’s private and what isn’t?
May. 10, 2017—New and clearer rules are needed about access to the huge amount of digital data in the cloud, says Chris Slobogin.
Looking to the 19th century for perspective on race and government
May. 8, 2017—Issues of race and government are explored in law professor Dan Sharfstein's new book, "Thunder in the Mountains."
Design Day features bulletproof vest that calls for backup, bridge for Hondurans in need
Apr. 28, 2017—A bulletproof vest that calls for backup when injured officers can’t emerged as one of the School of Engineering’s annual Design Day’s most fascinating offerings, holding promise to move from undergraduate project to life-saving purchase.
Copyright system needs to be replaced: Vanderbilt professor
Apr. 20, 2017—The whole system governing copyrights should be revamped, says Vanderbilt law professor Daniel Gervais
The tale teeth tell about the legendary man-eating lions of Tsavo
Apr. 19, 2017—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.
New method for tapping vast plant pharmacopeia to make more effective drugs
Apr. 14, 2017—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.
Venezuelans oppose closing the legislature in government standoff
Apr. 7, 2017—A new survey in Venezuela shows that the public objects to efforts to curb the legislature's power.
Legal academy needs to embrace complexity science: Ruhl
Mar. 30, 2017—Law professor J.B. Ruhl says legal scholars should embrace a research approach that analyzes how the relationship between various parts of a system influence its behavior.
Making America’s power grid much, much smarter
Mar. 29, 2017—A new, open-source software platform has been designed to support applications required to create a smart power grid and protect it from dangers ranging from terrorists to tree limbs.
Nashville is strong, but feeling growing pains: Vanderbilt Poll
Mar. 26, 2017—Davidson County residents give high marks to Mayor Megan Barry, but are concerned about the pace of Nashville’s growth and want to improve public transportation.
Rebuilding middle class is the key to preserving democracy
Mar. 24, 2017—Law professor Ganesh Sitaraman: "Our Constitution wasn’t designed for a country with significant economic inequality."