Research
Every day needs a night: study examines impact of artificial light on life cycle of trees
Apr. 8, 2025—While taking a flight one evening, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Lin Meng observed that the landscape outside of her window was lit up entirely by artificial light. In that moment, a thought crossed her mind: artificial light is everywhere, but what are the ecological consequences? Meng explored that question in a recent...
Castiglione Lab discover horses run faster by ignoring an ancient mutation that says ‘stop’
Apr. 7, 2025—New work from the Castiglione lab and that of collaborator, Elia Duh (Johns Hopkins), is shaping the way is shaping the way we understand the evolutionary limits of energy production. He discovered that the horse, an oft-studied, physiological powerhou...
Julia Velkovska: Solving the world’s minuscule mysteries
Apr. 6, 2025—When Julia Velkovska views the world, it’s through a microscopic lens. As Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Physics and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Velkovska studies the tiny particles that form our universe. She focuses on h...
Inspired chemist uncovers a scientific superpower in women
Apr. 2, 2025—Learn about the women who inspire Steven Townsend in his breakthrough research that puts a spotlight on women, their health and discoveries around the healing powers of breast milk.
Legislative gridlock did not stop lawmaking
Mar. 26, 2025—Vanderbilt’s Alan Wiseman co-directs the Center for Effective Lawmaking with University of Virginia professor Craig Volden. Using a combination of 15 metrics, the center defines legislators that “exceed expectations” as those who outperform the center’...
Jackson Lab reveals relationship between transport proteins and brain disease
Mar. 26, 2025—Fat and protein molecules are essential to human brain health, and there are microscopic transport hubs that make sure the right molecules get to the right cells. If the proteins aren’t interacting properly, they can wind up in the wrong places—a probl...
New research showcases unsung history of female architects
Mar. 11, 2025—In the decades preceding World War II, professional architecture schools started enrolling increasing numbers of women. However, career success for these women did not come easily due to discrimination. Kevin Murphy, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and professor of history of art and architecture, and Mary Anne Hunting, BA’80, have uncovered the histories...
Jackson Lab reveals relationship between transport proteins and brain disease
Mar. 5, 2025—Most of us rely heavily on shipping services like FedEx or UPS to ensure we receive the correct packages. If that system was disrupted, parcels would end up lost or in the wrong place. Similarly, all human cells require large protein coat complexes, working at transport hubs called endosomes, to coordinate the transport of fatty...
Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of highway congestion on fast-food consumption
Feb. 19, 2025—According to new research from Panka Bencsik, assistant professor of medicine, health and society, on days when highways are more congested, particularly during weekday afternoon rush hour, people are more likely to choose the fast-food option.
Sloan Foundation awards Vanderbilt’s Alexandre Tiriac prestigious research fellowship
Feb. 17, 2025—While he was cooking dinner, phone in hand, Alexandre Tiriac noticed an email from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The organization—a grantmaking institution founded in 1934 by industrialist Alfred P. Sloan Jr.—had written to tell him he’d been selecte...