Featured Research
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Auto experts recognize cars like most people recognize faces
The most detailed brain mapping study to date has found that the area of the brain that recognizes faces is also used to identify objects of expertise. Read MoreOct 1, 2012
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Dwindling undecided voters have lost much of their power
There now is only a small and ever dwindling chance that the remaining undecided voters might influence the outcome of the presidential election, said a Vanderbilt University political scientist. Read MoreSep 26, 2012
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Former teachers’ return to classroom feeds workforce, gender differences prevalent
New research examines what factors lead to teachers re-entering the teaching profession after exiting. Read MoreSep 26, 2012
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Sustaining, ‘scaling up’ effective practices of urban high schools focus of research
Researchers are examining what characteristics make some large, urban high schools particularly effective with low-income and minority students. Read MoreSep 24, 2012
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Romney not hurt much in aftermath of ’47 percent’ clip: Vanderbilt survey
The video of Mitt Romney dismissing 47 percent of Americans as unreachable by Republicans had little effect on swing voters who will probably decide the Nov. 4 election. Read MoreSep 20, 2012
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Steps toward ending gridlock in Congress
Hope is being offered by Vanderbilt professor Marc Hetherington and a colleague that generational turnover and a few adjustments now could cause the end of gridlock in Congress in the long run. Read MoreSep 19, 2012
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New Obama attack ad fails to make impact
A new attack ad that chides Mitt Romney for refusing to release more of his tax return information is failing to spark much of a reaction. Read MoreSep 18, 2012
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Sustaining Tennessee: Challenges and opportunities for making good decisions
The effects of climate change will have widespread impact on the state, but there are opportunities to offset it by incorporating “climate-friendly” and “climate-resilient” actions into routine management decisions, say scientists from Vanderbilt University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Memphis and the Tennessee Department of Health in a new report. Read MoreSep 17, 2012
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Sex matters: Guys recognize cars and women recognize birds best
Women are better than men at recognizing living things and men are better than women at recognizing vehicles: That is the unanticipated result of an analysis of data from a series of visual recognition tasks collected by Vanderbilt psychologists. Read MoreSep 17, 2012
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Romney appears to be losing traction with swing voters: Vanderbilt survey
A new survey from the Vanderbilt University/YouGov Ad Rating Project shows that the latest attack ad aimed at President Obama is not working as well as previous efforts. Read MoreSep 13, 2012
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Study tracks potential coverage gaps under Affordable Care Act
An analysis of Massachusetts’ health care reform program by a Vanderbilt researcher indicates insurance gaps may remain as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands insurance coverage beginning in 2014. Read MoreSep 13, 2012
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Ants have an exceptionally high-def sense of smell
Ants have four to five times more odor receptors than most other insects, a team of researchers have discovered. Read MoreSep 10, 2012
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NSF funding boosts Vanderbilt climate change studies in Sri Lanka
In 2010 the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment began a unique interdisciplinary study of agricultural adaptation to water scarcity in Sri Lanka's Mahaweli River Watershed. Now a five-year, $3.7M grant from the National Science Foundation, through their Water Sustainability and Climate program, will further the study and its global best practices. Read MoreSep 6, 2012
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Spinach power gets a major boost
Vanderbilt researchers have combined the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion thatproduces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous "biohybrid" solar cells. Read MoreSep 4, 2012
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Bill Clinton better at rallying the Democratic base than Obama: study
The latest political ad to be rated by the Vanderbilt/YouGov Ad Rating Project shows former president Bill Clinton doing a better job of rallying Democratic voters to re-elect President Obama than the president himself. Read MoreAug 28, 2012
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Little evidence supports autism treatment options in adolescents
There is insufficient evidence to support findings, good or bad, for therapies currently used in adolescents and young adults with autism. Read MoreAug 27, 2012
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Anti-Obama attack ad finally earns Romney points among independent voters
One of Mitt Romney’s latest campaign commercials against President Barack Obama seems to be hitting a nerve among independent voters, data from the Vanderbilt/YouGov Ad Rating Project shows. Read MoreAug 21, 2012
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Get motivated and stay motivated: Eight keys for pursuing long-term goals
Setting a goal—and sticking to it—can be difficult for anyone. A new study co-authored by Vanderbilt management and sociology professor Bruce Barry examines how certain types of professionals sustain their motivation and enthusiasm over very long periods. Read MoreAug 16, 2012
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Engineer, astronomer and geologist receive NSF Faculty Early Career Development awards
An electrical engineer who is attempting to make wireless communications more reliable, an astronomer who studies the evolution of the cosmos by creating large numbers of virtual universes and a geologist who is studying the origins of super-eruptions have received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development awards. Read MoreAug 9, 2012
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Largest 3-D map of the universe released to public
Star gazers – both those who have a telescope and those who don’t – should be happy to learn that the largest-ever three-dimensional map of the universe has been released to the public. Read MoreAug 8, 2012