Larisa DeSantis

Intense look at La Brea Tar Pits explains why we have coyotes, not saber-toothed cats

Aug. 5, 2019—The most detailed study to date of ancient predators trapped in the La Brea Tar Pits is helping Americans understand why today we’re dealing with coyotes dumping over garbage cans and not saber-toothed cats ripping our arms off.

Panel discussion on STEM career paths set for March 12

Mar. 8, 2019—The Vanderbilt community is invited to a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 12, titled “ZigZags: Honest STEM Career Paths.” The discussion will be held at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center.

When Larisa DeSantis was 9 years old, she had the opportunity to meet with then-President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office in her capacity as the national poster child for the Epilepsy Foundation of America.

Childhood meeting with Bush inspired Vanderbilt’s DeSantis to be role model for others

Dec. 6, 2018—When Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Larisa DeSantis was 9 years old, she had the opportunity to meet with then-President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office. The interaction with the 41st president would have a profound effect on her life.

drawing of dark colored lion with light spots looking rather angry

Climate change the likely killer of Australian marsupial lion

Oct. 19, 2018—The extinction of one of Australia’s top predators, the marsupial lion, was likely a result of changing weather patterns and loss of habitat rather than human impacts, a study led by Vanderbilt University paleontologist Larisa DeSantis has found.

close-up of koala with mouth open, showing teeth

Koala teeth provide insights into diet

Aug. 22, 2018—Paleontologist Larisa DeSantis' latest research confirms that the shape of tooth wear best indicates the kind of food koalas and kangaroos ate, not whether it was covered in dust and dirt.

Fossil hunting at Fort Negley in 2016. (photo courtesy of Larisa DeSantis)

Vanderbilt students offer firsthand look at Nashville’s distant past during Fossils at the Fort April 7

Mar. 22, 2018—Kids of all ages can find and take home a 400-million-year-old souvenir and learn all about the hunt for clues to the ancient past at Fort Negley April 7.

Illustration of giant lizard fighting off a giant bear-like marsupial

Climate change took away ancient animals’ food supply; holds implications for today’s wildlife

Jun. 2, 2017—Analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on megafauna diets and was a primary factor in their extinction.

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.

Fossils at the Fort is March 25

Mar. 15, 2017—Fossils at the Fort is happening on Saturday, March 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fort Negley Visitors Center and Park. The event is free and will take place rain or shine.

Climate change helped kill off super-sized Ice Age animals in Australia

Jan. 26, 2017—A new study has compared the diet of a variety of Australian megafaunal herbivores from the period when they were widespread (350,000 to 570,000 years ago) to a period when they were in decline (30,000 to 40,000 years ago) by studying their fossil teeth. The analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on their diets and may well have been a primary factor in their extinction.

distance view of temple mound with tiny people atop it for scale

Vanderbilt excavation begins to shed more light on the lives of early Peruvians

Oct. 4, 2016—Findings from archaeologist Tom Dillehay's dig at Huaca Prieta and Paredones include the world's earliest known use of indigo dye.

Fossils at the Fort is March 19

Mar. 10, 2016—Fossils at the Fort is a free annual event providing young and old with an opportunity to journey into Middle Tennessee's astonishing ancient past.