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Renowned Evolutionary Biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant to Deliver Inaugural Biodiversity Day Lecture
Sep. 25, 2023—Nashville, TN – Vanderbilt University’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative is thrilled to announce that distinguished evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant will be delivering the inaugural Biodiversity Day Lecture as part of the ESI seminar series. The Grants are widely recognized for their groundbreaking research on the evolution of Darwin’s finches, which has transformed our understanding...
National Center for Science Education Hosts Conference at Vanderbilt University
Jul. 19, 2023—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The National Center for Science Education supports teachers in accurately conveying what can often be seen as the difficult or even politicized concepts in science. Making strides to help teachers understand topics like climate change and evolution are high priorities for the organization. This year, NCSE chose Vanderbilt...
Graham Slater, expert in mammalian evolution, to speak at Earth Day Evolutionary Studies seminar
Apr. 10, 2023—By Kelly Tingle, Evolutionary Studies communications assistant Graham Slater, a leading paleobiologist specializing in mammalian evolution, is scheduled to speak on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 19, 2023 on Predicting multivariate ecology of fossil taxa from morphological data. The seminar will be held from 3:10–4:10 pm in 101 Buttrick Hall and is open to all members...
Scott Edwards, expert on the evolution of biodiversity, to deliver J. T. Scopes Lecture
Mar. 20, 2023—By: Dr. Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Scott V. Edwards, the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Curator of Ornithology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University and a leading expert on the evolution of biodiversity, will deliver this year’s J. T. Scopes Lecture on Wednesday, March 29th. The title of his...
Joan Strassmann, expert on the evolution of cooperation, to deliver Evolutionary Studies seminar
Feb. 22, 2023—Joan Strassmann, a world leading expert on the evolution of cooperation and fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, will be giving a talk on experimental evolution of microbes on Friday Feb. 24th. The event will begin at 3:30pm in Medical Research Building III room 1220 and is open to the Vanderbilt community. Snacks...
Vanderbilt-led Group Discovers Divergent Function in Convergent Evolution of Form
Feb. 22, 2023—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The classic idiom form fits function does not always mean that everything of the same form has the same function. That’s what a group of paleontologists have discovered with the help of fluid physics and preserved fossils. Simon Darroch, assistant professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, led a...
Investigadores de Vanderbilt University Identifican Métodos de Selección Natural en Poblaciones Menos Estudiadas
Feb. 21, 2023—de Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Amanda Lea, profesora asistente en biología, con un equipo de expertos globales, han descubierto nuevas secuencias de selección natural en humanos. El equipo, dirigido por el codirector del Proyecto de Salud y Antropología Tsimane (Tsimane Health and Life History Project) Michael Gurven de la Universidad de California Santa...
Vanderbilt Researcher Identifies Modes of Natural Selection in Understudied Human Populations
Feb. 16, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator (Spanish/español) Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biology, along with a global team of experts, have discovered new pathways of natural selection in humans. The group, led by Tsimane Health and Life History Project co-Director Michael Gurven of the University of California, Santa Barbara, studied two populations of Bolivians...
Richard Lenski, founder of the long-term evolution experiment, to deliver 2023 Darwin Day Lecture
Jan. 17, 2023—Richard Lenski, a world-renowned evolutionary biologist whose long-term evolution experiment of the microorganism Escherichia coli has been running for over three decades, will deliver the 2023 Darwin Day Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Lenski’s talk, part of Vanderbilt’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative International Darwin Day celebrations, will begin at 3:10pm CT in Buttrick 101, preceded by...
Vanderbilt Graduate Student Parses Out Differences in Virulence across the Aspergillus Genus
Dec. 5, 2022—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Annie Hatmaker, along with an excellent team of researchers including her advisor, Antonis Rokas, recently published a study identifying differences in virulence among Aspergillus species. Aspergillus is a common human-pathogenic genus of fungi that includes A. flavus which can cause aspergillosis and fungal keratitis infections, a nasty eye...