Featured Research
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Study: Continuity, not change, marked President Trump’s first year
An empirical analysis of executive actions taken during President Trump's first year shows that while he focused more on immigration and deregulation than previous presidents, his use of unilateralism was largely in line with his predecessors. Read MoreMay 29, 2019
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Life in evolution’s fast lane
A group of budding yeasts in the genus Hanseniaspora, which is closely related to the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has lost large numbers of genes related to cell cycle and DNA repair processes. Read MoreMay 21, 2019
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Why some rules are meant to be broken
When businesses fail to comply with the rules, sometimes the rules themselves are partly to blame. Read MoreMay 9, 2019
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Indicators of despair rising among Gen X-ers entering middle age
In 2016, a surprising decline in life expectancy was ascribed to "deaths of despair" among working-class middle-aged white men displaced by a changing economy. However, new research shows indicators of despair are rising among Americans approaching middle age regardless of race, education and gender. Read MoreApr 15, 2019
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How to cross-examine a machine in court
As society becomes more automated, our trial system needs to identify new ways to cross-examine evidence generated by processes and machines, without requiring human witnesses to vouch for it. Read MoreMar 27, 2019
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Depoliticizing the Supreme Court may mean radically overhauling it: Law professor
Law professor Ganesh Sitaraman says it may be possible to remove or reduce the influence of politics on the Supreme Court by leveraging the federal court of appeals. Read MoreMar 25, 2019
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Separation anxiety can contribute to toxic body image
Young women with separation anxiety tend to over-rely on external cues to define themselves, which can make them vulnerable to internalizing unhealthy body ideals. Read MoreMar 18, 2019
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Prejudice against darker skin continues to depress wages for legal immigrants: Study
Legal immigrants with darker skin are paid up to 25 percent less than those with lighter skin, a wage penalty that widened significantly several years after receiving permanent legal status. Read MoreFeb 13, 2019
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Women’s hormones play role in drug addiction, higher relapse rates
But long before female-specific medications are available, treatment centers could use the information in this study to educate women about their stronger mental connections to places and objects. Read MoreFeb 8, 2019
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How making an accusation makes you seem more trustworthy
Making an accusation about unethical business practices undermines trust in the accused and enhances trust in the accuser, but only if the accusation is made in good faith, according to new research led by Vanderbilt business professor Jessica Kennedy. Read MoreJan 29, 2019
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Nanoparticle targets tumor-infiltrating immune cells, flips switch telling them to fight
A team of Vanderbilt University bioengineers announced a major breakthrough: designing a nanoscale particle that flips on cells' defenses to fight cancer. Read MoreJan 21, 2019
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Stress fractures and running wearables: The mistake that could mean injuries
Working with an orthopedic specialist who advises the NFL Players Association, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karl Zelik discovered that sensors only measuring the impact of the foot hitting pavement tell users little about the forces on bones that lead to stress fractures. Read MoreJan 17, 2019
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Courts must not ignore explicit bias in discrimination claims, says Vanderbilt law professor
Too often, courts will exclude or minimize evidence of explicit bias when considering discrimination claims out of an overabundance of caution, but that approach only further entrenches the inequality that gave rise to the claim in the first place, finds law professor Jessica Clarke. Read MoreJan 17, 2019
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New analysis suggests lepers may not have been pariahs in Jesus’ time
New insights into how disease and impurity were viewed in first-century Jewish society suggests scholars may need to reevaluate how they interpret Jesus' interaction with people affected by leprosy. Read MoreJan 10, 2019
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Carbon labeling can reduce greenhouse gases even if it doesn’t change consumer behavior
Carbon labeling may be an effective way to not only help consumers to choose foods with smaller carbon footprints, but also incentivize companies to make environmentally positive changes to their supply chains. Read MoreDec 19, 2018
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Immigrant children in ‘tender age shelters’ at risk for psychological disorders
The practice of separating immigrant children from their parents is very likely to lead to negative effects on emotional and mental health in adolescence. Read MoreDec 19, 2018
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Ensuring trade agreements don’t undermine environmental protections
Research by Tim Meyer suggests that selective enforcement of trade rules in unexpected ways has penalized renewable industries while propping up those that rely on exhaustible natural resources. Read MoreDec 7, 2018
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The ‘clean plate’ mentality drives us to overeat. To-go bags can help.
We’re more likely to overeat when we only have a little bit of food left over, and we justify it by convincing ourselves it’s not as unhealthy as it is, according to new research by marketing professor Kelly Haws. Read MoreNov 27, 2018
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SAILS math remediation eliminated students’ delay in entering college-level courses; did not increase math achievement
Researchers evaluated Tennessee's online course that students complete during high school to avoid taking remedial math in college. Read MoreNov 20, 2018
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Launching new tech? How do you make data-driven decisions without any sales data?
Kejia Hu has developed an improved method for forecasting the lifecycle of novel tech products that incorporates historical sales data from similar products with business insights to estimate demand. Read MoreNov 14, 2018