https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Vanderbilt University Most elementary school-aged children have a surprising cognitive ability: they can detect—nearly as well as adults—when someone treats people from one social group differently than another. The study, "Children's and adults' detection of social biases," published in Child Development, demonstrates children's emerging capacity to recognize and reason about social bias. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-age-children-quickly-individuals-social.html Social Sciences Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:20:01 EDT news694683919 Extreme heat kills more people in the U.S. each year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. But how can we address a seemingly natural force? Heat can often seem solely weather-related, with policies trying to find a solution through temperature metrics, cooling technologies, and alerts. However, a new report from the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative (VU-CCH) suggests that extreme heat is not just a climate issue, but also a social one. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-thermal-justice-threat-extreme-culturally.html Environment Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news694084289 Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, and it affects over 7 million people in the United States alone. Although there are treatments that can slow its progression, most of them treat its symptoms only and none of them can cure the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-compounds-avenues-alzheimer-disease-therapeutics.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:20:01 EDT news692619001 Most of us have heard the phrase "it takes a village" when it comes to childcare. This age-old saying holds true for some songbirds, and a new study has found that this "village" has evolutionary consequences for their songs. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-female-birds-family-childcare.html Evolution Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:00:02 EDT news692609581 For patients with advanced melanoma without BRAF mutation who no longer respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, treatment options remain frustratingly limited. A new study from Vanderbilt researchers led by Professor Emerita of Pharmacology Ann Richmond outlines a promising therapeutic strategy that may resensitize these resistant tumors to immunotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-drug-combo-immune-suppression-melanoma.html Oncology & Cancer Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:20:03 EST news691416422 Innovation in artificial intelligence applications, including the rising tide of AI agents, is based on startups accessing AI foundation models offered by Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. Each of these companies also competes with those startups, creating conflicts of interest. A new report by Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator director of artificial intelligence and technology policy Asad Ramzanali and Akhil Rajan analyzes the foundational model market, highlights a case study of a startup that experienced unfair treatment from a foundation model provider, and recommends a requirement for AI neutrality similar to "net neutrality" rules in broadband. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-net-neutrality-ai.html Machine learning & AI Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:00:06 EST news691408741 Can you tell the difference between an artificial-intelligence-generated face and a real one? In an era of digital misinformation, where fabricated images can spread widely across news and social media, this skill is proving invaluable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ai-people.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:00:01 EST news690454012 You may be surprised to learn that, according to AddictionHelp.com, an estimated 12% of American adults (~41 million) have used powder cocaine in their lifetimes. Thankfully, not everyone who partakes develops an addiction, but for the over 50 million Americans who had a substance use disorder in the previous year, medical approaches to overcoming addiction are much needed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-qa-realistic-cocaine-addiction.html Medical research Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:00:01 EST news689253199 Improvements in public health have allowed humankind to survive to older ages than ever before, but, for many people, these added golden years are not spent in good health. Aging is a natural part of life, but it is associated with a greatly increased incidence of most chronic diseases, including various cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cells-aging-remodeling-endoplasmic-reticulum.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:35:30 EST news689272501 Tracing policy decisions from early America to today, the reports reveal how long-standing choices continue to shape access and outcomes for families. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-historical-patterns-inequity-policy-impact.html Economics & Business Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:49:14 EST news688646941 The kidney's proximal tubule reabsorbs water, glucose, ions and other small molecules from the urine and thus maintains the body's supply of these essential constituents. The tubule can be easily damaged by ischemia, or poor circulation, but it normally can repair itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-protein-rac1-plays-dual-roles.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:08:18 EST news688057681 Vanderbilt researchers have developed a lightweight wearable device that shifts body armor weight off the shoulders and back of soldiers, helping reduce pain and injury risk. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-wearable-device-offloads-body-armor.html Engineering Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:39:11 EST news684146341 Leon Bellan, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt, and his team have developed a novel cooling-triggered device that could allow patients to safely and conveniently receive drugs for pain relief. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-drug-delivery-mechanism-triggered-cooling.html Medications Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:10:29 EST news684137401 Some people may worry about being bitten by a snake or spider, but have you ever considered what would happen if a small black hole tried to pass through your body? https://phys.org/news/2025-11-small-black-hole-human-body.html General Physics Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:50:02 EST news682944140 Schizophrenia, a psychiatric disorder that affects how a person feels, thinks, and behaves, affects roughly 1% of the population (approximately 3.5 million people in the U.S.) and is a leading cause of disability and death. It has a strong genetic component, with an estimated heritability of about 80%. Heritability measures how closely the differences in people's genes account for differences in their manifested traits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-qa-genes-schizophrenia.html Genetics Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:10:04 EST news682339061 Melanoma is the most common form of skin cancer, but for patients with advanced melanoma who no longer respond to standard immunotherapy, treatment options are painfully limited. Vanderbilt researchers led by Professor Emerita of Pharmacology Ann Richmond have discovered a promising new drug combination that targets three key pathways at once and that may help these treatment-resistant patients respond once again to the body's own immune defenses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-drug-combination-melanoma-patients-resistant.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:10:01 EDT news680795106 A team of researchers led by Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University, have developed a magnetic robotic valve to provide minimally invasive intervention for gastroesophageal reflux disease and possibly other organ system disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-magnetic-robotic-valve-minimally-invasive.html Gastroenterology Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:45:03 EDT news680787902 The drug development pipeline is a costly and lengthy process. Identifying high-quality "hit" compounds—those with high potency, selectivity, and favorable metabolic properties—at the earliest stages is important for reducing cost and accelerating the path to clinical trials. For the last decade, scientists have looked to machine learning to make this initial screening process more efficient. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-scientist-tackles-key-roadblock-ai.html Biochemistry Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:22:04 EDT news679918922 Widely used to prevent infection, one of the active ingredients in the ointment, Neosporin, is neomycin. Discovered in the 1940s, neomycin is an effective topical antibiotic; however, if injected into the body to treat systemic infections, it can cause deafness, kidney damage, and neurological damage. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-safe-method-traditional-topical-antibiotic.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:45:03 EDT news679578301 The first three years of life are critical for healthy development, yet families in some states have more than twice the resources of those in others—a gap created by state policy choices. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-wide-disparities-investments-children-earliest.html Social Sciences Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:04:04 EDT news678539042 Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have demonstrated in a precision-based clinical trial that a magnesium supplement increases gut bacteria in humans that have been shown to synthesize vitamin D and inhibit colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-magnesium-inhibits-colorectal-cancer-carcinogenesis.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:38:03 EDT news677839081 A new study has successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz (THz) light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in optoelectronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-layered-material-successfully-confines-terahertz.html Condensed Matter Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:19:04 EDT news677175541 Vanderbilt researchers, including those from the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, have made significant strides in understanding how the enteric nervous system—sometimes called the "brain" of the gut—forms and functions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-uncover-critical-genetic-drivers-gut.html Genetics Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:50:03 EDT news676291641 Alexander Christensen's recent study probably won't rewrite 40 years of history in the field of psychology, but he hopes that his research team's quantitative approach to developing and evaluating personality structures triggers a discussion about how personality is defined and measured. Such discussion could hold broader implications for the field of personality psychology and potentially for classifications in psychopathology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-science-methods-personality-psychopathology.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:16:03 EDT news675440161 When we think of the age-old adage about getting old, "What new ache or pain will each new day bring?" we often imagine ailments such as joint or bone pain, a hyperactive bladder, or even memory loss, but Kevin Schey, Stevenson Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, thinks a lot about the loss of eyesight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-qa-lipid-metabolism-culprit-age.html Ophthalmology Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:50:16 EDT news675337805 A team led by Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center biomedical engineers and surgeons has published results of a large clinical trial showing that use of a near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) probe device improves intraoperative identification of parathyroid glands (PGs). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-multicenter-trial-infrared-autofluorescence-parathyroid.html Surgery Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:15:04 EDT news673874101 A new breakthrough in the field of physics led by doctoral student Yueming Yan could allow for the creation of small, thin, low-power optical devices to be used in both medical imaging and environmental sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ultrathin-metal-semiconductor-emit-multicolor.html Nanophysics Fri, 08 Aug 2025 09:14:03 EDT news673863241 A new study published in Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools explores how elementary school–aged peers can be taught to support classmates with autism who are minimally speaking. The research was conducted by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center member Elizabeth Biggs, Ph.D., and demonstrates that peers can learn and apply responsive interaction strategies—called the "Ways to Talk and Play"—to foster play and communication using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). https://phys.org/news/2025-08-peers-strategies-communication-minimally-autistic.html Social Sciences Fri, 01 Aug 2025 09:05:20 EDT news673257915 If it has seemed like more people you know are developing diabetes, you are right. The diabetes epidemic is not called an epidemic for nothing: According to the American Diabetes Association, over 10% of the U.S. population—approximately 38.4 million people—had diabetes in 2021, and 1.2 million more people get diagnosed each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-reveal-cell-subtypes-diabetes.html Diabetes Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:56:43 EDT news673026999 In a scientific first, researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Diego, have generated a high-resolution metabolic "map" of how cells orchestrate glucose processing, revealing a hidden world where organelles and molecular complexes collaborate when responding to a rush of nutrients. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-method-reveals-glucose-channeling-fine.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:49:54 EDT news672335389