Science

Expert typists are able to zoom across the keyboard without ever thinking about which fingers are pressing the keys. New research from Vanderbilt University reveals that this skill is managed by an autopilot, one that is able to catch errors that can fool our conscious brain. Read More

Bryan Ringstrand (left) and Piotr Kaszynski [Note: A multimedia version of this story is available on Exploration, Vanderbilt’s online research magazine.] Chemists at Vanderbilt University have created a new class of liquid crystals with unique electrical properties that could improve the performance of digital displays used on everything from… Read More

A new report from the National Research Council offers insights into 31 doctoral programs at Vanderbilt University, and finds the programs to be competitive with those at other top research institutions in the United States. The report is based on data collected for the 2005-2006 academic year… Read More

Issues including Climategate, the future of electric cars and floodplain policy will be examined during the fall 2010 Saturday University lecture series at Vanderbilt University, which brings the expertise of the Vanderbilt faculty to the Nashville community.  Saturday University this semester will feature discussions on “Heat, Light and Water: Lectures… Read More

The Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory is celebrating the anniversary of “The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Ten Years Observing the Universe” with a series of special Stellar Nights lectures this fall. “New Worlds on our Doorstep: Hunting for Planets” will be given by astronomer Joshua Pepper on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 7… Read More

Five years from now, high school and college students throughout Tennessee should have more and better opportunities to learn about and pursue careers in alternative energy science and technology. Read More

Graduate students Chao Liu and R. Jason Pitts Origin of DEET’s repellent effect confirmed It now appears that the malaria mosquito needs more than one family of odor sensors to sniff out its human prey. That is the implication of new research into the mosquito’s sense of smell published… Read More

Photo courtesy of Sloan Digital Sky Survey The Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory is celebrating the anniversary of “The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Ten Years Observing the Universe” with a series of special Stellar Nights lectures this fall. “Galaxies, Quasars and the Universe” will be given by Andreas Berlind on Tuesday, Aug. Read More

A group of Vanderbilt researchers analyzed the role of the brain chemical dopamine in impulsivity to discover more precisely what makes some people more susceptible to rash behavior. Read More

What do an astrophysicist studying how black holes merge, a chemist predicting the biological characteristics of novel proteins, a psychologist investigating decision-making and a mechanical engineer studying how nanotubes transport heat have in common? They all need tremendous amounts of computer power to conduct their research and they… Read More

Ken Catania Vanderbilt University was named one of the best places for life scientists to work in academia by The Scientist magazine. It was the seventh time in the eight years of the survey that Vanderbilt was ranked and a substantial improvement from its 2009 ranking. Vanderbilt was ranked… Read More

Eighteen gifted and talented high school students are spending the week on the Vanderbilt campus learning how nanoscience – the science of the very small – is impacting everything from the formulation of concrete to drug delivery systems. The nanoscience camp is one of a number of different camps being… Read More

Immortality and uncontrolled cell division are the fundamental differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Read More

Although Robert Scherrer, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, is a highly regarded cosmologist and an award-winning teacher, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has selected him as the 2010 recipient of its Klopsteg Memorial Award based on his work as a published science fiction writer. Read More

Vanderbilt Professor of Physics Paul Sheldon heads a multi-institutional team that has received an Internet2 award for a networking system that they have developed to make it easier to move and store mountains of digital data. Read More

Vanderbilt physicist Joe Hamilton played a key role in the discovery of element 117, a new super-heavy element that has been created and identified by an international scientific team. Discovery of the new element provides new information about the basic organization of matter and strengthens the likelihood that still more massive elements may form an "island of stability": a cluster of stable super-heavy elements that could form novel materials with exotic and as yet unimagined scientific and practical applications. Read More

C. Robert O'Dell, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt, will deliver the lecture "What Blew Up on the Fourth of July in 1054? The Crab Nebula of Course" on Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. Read More

On Tuesday, March 30, Vanderbilt's high-energy physicists are opening a virtual control room that will allow them to participate fully in the experiments that will be conducted on the world's largest particle accelerator, the $9 billion Large Hadron Collider located in Switzerland. The LHC is beginning its research program on Tuesday and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which operates the machine, has invited the world's science press to cover the event. Read More

Vanderbilt's Dyer Observatory is free and open to the public March through November during monthly Open House Telescope Nights and Open House Days. Read More

The brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost, new research from Vanderbilt University finds. The research uncovers the role of the brain's reward system in psychopathy and opens a new area of study for understanding what drives these individuals. Read More