Jon Kaas
Why does it take humans so long to mature compared to other animals? Look to your neurons!
Oct. 30, 2018—How long humans and other warm-blooded animals live—and when they reach sexual maturity—may have more to do with neurons in their cortex than body size or mass, according to new research by Associate Professor of Psychology Suzana Herculano-Houzel.
Brainiac: With her innovative ‘brain soup,’ Suzana Herculano-Houzel is changing neuroscience one species at a time
Sep. 7, 2017—When she finally applied her "brain soup" technique to the human brain, Herculano-Houzel discovered we have an average of 86 billion neurons. Surprisingly, though, the neuron density is the same as in other primates, showing a clear evolutionary pattern from monkeys to humans. “We somehow manage to have this large brain with a large number of neurons; but it’s still just a regular primate brain,” says Herculano-Houzel.
Message in a Bottle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—and Refuse
Mar. 7, 2017—In 2009 three friends and I co-founded Plastic Pollution Coalition at my dining room table, adding a fourth “R”—Refuse—to the traditional three: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Why “refuse”? Because disposable plastic is made from petroleum, is used for only brief periods and lasts forever, causing great harm to wildlife and humans.
VIDL awards funding to enhance teaching, learning through digital technology
Jul. 1, 2016—The Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning (VIDL) distributed more than $46,000 in grants and awards this spring as part of its Innovation Programs initiative.
Scientists establish first map of the sea lion brain
Apr. 27, 2016—A team of neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University has taken an important step toward uncovering the mystery behind the California sea lion's prodigious intelligence by conducting the first comprehensive study of their central nervous systems.
From Access to Impact: Opportunity Vanderbilt Scholarship Recipients Aim High
Mar. 23, 2015—A glimpse into the lives of four scholarship recipients shows not only how Opportunity Vanderbilt is empowering individuals, but how they are contributing to Vanderbilt, their communities and the world.
Jon Kaas wins major neuroscience award
Nov. 14, 2013—Jon Kaas is the 2014 recipient of the George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience, which recognizes individuals whose research has had a revolutionary impact on the field.
Minds wide open: Neuroscience at Vanderbilt
Apr. 6, 2012—Vanderbilt University has emerged as one of the nation’s leading academic centers in neuroscience.
New endowed chair holders honored
Mar. 29, 2012—Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored March 26 during a celebration at the Student Life Center. Their collective achievement “is, I think by any measure, extraordinary,” said Richard McCarty, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, in his introductory remarks.
Tennessean op-ed: Anti-science legislation offers prospect of a new Scopes trial
Mar. 26, 2012—By Roger Cone, chairman of the department of molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt, Jon Kaas, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt, and Robert Webster, Rose Marie Thomas Chair in Virology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital This opinion piece was published on the Tennessean’s website March 25, 2012. Almost 90 years ago,...