News & Events
How do interactions between individuals from different populations contribute to cultural richness?
May. 3, 2023—By: Yotam Ben-Oren (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Erella Hovers (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and Oren Kolodny (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nicole Creanza Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences (VU) Why are human cultures so diverse? What makes some cultures richer than others? How can very small populations possess very complex cultures? According to...
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...
Paleontology Graduate Student Uncovers Lessons from Microfossils of the Grand Canyon
Apr. 7, 2023—By Dr. Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Kelly Tingle, graduate student in Simon Darroch’s lab (Earth and Environmental Sciences), just published a new first-authored article outlining some exciting discoveries related to microfossils found in the Grand Canyon. Vase-shaped microfossils were amoebae that exist worldwide and can provide some insight into early life on Earth....
Trio of Vanderbilt Researchers Identify Variable Outcomes in Experimental Evolution
Apr. 7, 2023—By Dr. Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Sarah Worthan a postdoctoral researcher led a new effort with undergraduate researcher Robert McCarthy and their advisor, assistant professor of biological sciences Megan Behringer, to understand the effects of the environment on the outcome of experimental evolution studies. The article, “Case Studies in the Assessment of Microbial...
International Collaboration Uncovers Evolutionary History of Respiratory Virus in Argentina
Mar. 20, 2023—By Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Stephanie Goya, who did a rotation with the lab of Suman Das, recently published a paper with the lab about the evolution of respiratory syncytial virus in a population of humans in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The paper, “Evolutionary dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus in Buenos Aires: Viral diversity,...
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...
Vanderbilt Researchers find Evidence for Evolutionary Constraints on Immunity
Mar. 18, 2023—By Dr. Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator A new study led by members of Ann Tate’s (Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences) lab found evidence that pleiotropy may slow down evolution of genes involved in immunity. Alissa Williams, postdoctoral researcher, and Thi Ngo, lab alumna, equally contributed to the new paper studying the evolution of...
Vanderbilt Team finds Evolutionary Support for Induced Defenses
Mar. 16, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Graduate student Reese Martin and his doctoral advisor, Ann Tate, assistant professor of biological sciences, used theoretical modeling to identify a potential relationship between genetic pleiotropy and the evolution of immune responses. The pair authored a paper titled, “Pleiotropy promotes the evolution of inducible immune responses in a...
New outreach partnership with Dismas House
Mar. 16, 2023—By Dr. Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator This spring, a new partnership formed between Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt and Dismas House, a residential reentry program for men leaving Tennessee state prisons and jails. Dr. Kyle David, a postdoctoral researcher in the Rokas lab, founded this partnership with coordination from Natalie McMillan, program coordinator for...
Vanderbilt Biologist investigates specialization and its impact on cultural evolution
Mar. 14, 2023—By Kelly Tingle, Evolutionary Studies communications assistant The cultural evolution of a population depends not only on size but also on the degree of specialization within a population, according to a new study published last month by a team of scientists including Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Nicole Creanza. The study found that populations can increase...
Vanderbilt researcher finds evidence for ant caste systems driven by chemo-sensing responses
Mar. 13, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Stephen Ferguson, first-author of a new paper with his postdoctoral advisor, Laurence Zwiebel, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences, and two undergraduates associated with the lab, Isaac Bakis (alumnus) and Nicholas Edwards, confirmed the existence of a specialized soldier caste within an ant species in a paper titled,...
Researchers hope insights into low-light vision of Antarctic icefish can promote better understanding of human health
Feb. 27, 2023—By Tatum Lyles Flick, Evolutionary Studies communications volunteer consultant Though many researchers have considered how fish survive in extreme cold, using everything from antifreeze glycoproteins that protect cells to not producing hemoglobin, few have taken a molecular approach to evaluate how they are able to see in such conditions. In “Adaptation of Antarctic Icefish Vision...
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...