Research
Center for Global Democracy Awarded $12.5 million from USAID
Oct. 10, 2024—The College of Arts and Science’s Center for Global Democracy has been awarded $12.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand its research on democratic governance in Latin America and the Caribbean. The funds will be dispersed over the next five years to support activities related to the AmericasBarometer survey, a...
John M. Jumper, DeepMind researcher and Vanderbilt alumnus, shares 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry
Oct. 9, 2024—John M. Jumper, BS’07, is one of three scientists awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Oct. 9. Jumper currently is a senior staff research scientist for DeepMind, a London-based company that made a huge leap ...
New study finds that anesthesia inhibits brain’s predictive processing
Oct. 8, 2024—Our brains constantly work to make predictions about what’s going on around us, ensuring that we can attend to and consider the unexpected. However, in a new study led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Andre Bastos, researchers found that animal subjects under general anesthesia were unable to detect moderate and complex surprises. While a sensory...
New study finds that anesthesia inhibits brain’s predictive processing
Oct. 7, 2024—A new study led by Andre Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, found that animal subjects under general anesthesia were unable to detect moderate and complex surprises. This discovery deepens the understanding about the nature of consciousness and...
Roschke appointed executive director of McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies
Oct. 7, 2024—Kristy Roschke, a renowned expert in media literacy and misinformation, has been named the inaugural executive director of the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at Vanderbilt University beginning Oct. 15. Roschke will also hold a faculty appointment in the Program in Communication of Science and Technology in the College of Arts and Science....
Vanderbilt’s Keivan Stassun named 2024 MacArthur fellow
Oct. 1, 2024—Stassun, who is also a founding co-director the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, was among the 2024 MacArthur fellows announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The fellowship, which is awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, ...
Evolved in the lab, found in nature: Uncovering hidden pH sensing abilities
Sep. 30, 2024—In a groundbreaking study led by Sarah Worthan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Behringer Lab at Vanderbilt University, scientists have successfully evolved microbial cultures that possess the ability to sense pH changes, enabling rapid respons...
Vanderbilt researchers find warming quickens aging-related mortality in mosquitoes
Sep. 25, 2024—New research shows that warming and aging act as a one-two punch, lowering mosquito lifespans and fanning the flames of bacterial infections. These findings highlight how climate change could alter the risks of disease spread by mosquitoes.
Research snapshot: Examining the impact of negative media coverage on LGBTQ+ young adults
Sep. 18, 2024—Kirsty Clark, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, studies mental health disparities impacting LGBTQ+ populations through her lab. Clark recently published research that explores the effects of negative news and media coverage on the i...
Research snapshot: Examining the impact of negative media coverage on LGBTQ+ young adults
Sep. 17, 2024—Kirsty Clark, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, studies mental health disparities impacting LGBTQ+ populations through her lab. The Clark Lab then develops evidence-based interventions to disrupt the course of such disparities. Clark recently published research in JAMA Pediatrics that explores the effects of negative news and media coverage on the intensity of suicidal...