biological sciences

A PowerPoint slide saying "Why Archaeotherium" "They are just creepy" with a photo of an archaeotherium on display at a museum

Vanderbilt Paleontology Graduate Student Brynn Wooten Brings Hell Pigs to the Forefront

Nov. 18, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Archaeotherium, better known by the irresistibly dramatic nickname “Hell Pigs,” belong to an extinct group of mammals from the Eocene and Oligocene. The animals were neither hellish nor pigs, but their odd mix of features has made them a favorite for researchers. Graduate student Brynn Wooten of the...

Partnership with Turkana Community Helps Scientists Discover Genes Involved in Adaptation to Desert Living

Sep. 18, 2025—Originally posted by UC-Berkeley team, edits by Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Scientists Discover Key Genetic Adaptations in Partnership with Turkana Pastoralists of Northern Kenya Groundbreaking study reveals how thousands of years of natural selection shaped remarkable adaptations to an extreme environment. Through a collaboration between US and Kenyan researchers and Turkana communities of...

Annie Hatmaker Explores the Global Diversity of a Pathogenic Fungus

Aug. 18, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Annie Hatmaker, Ph.D., has spent the better part of a decade studying fungi and their secondary metabolites – small molecules they use to communicate, defend, and thrive. Her new publication, “Population structure in a fungal human pathogen is potentially linked to pathogenicity,” closes her dissertation work and opens...

A man with short dark hair, a beard, and glasses sits at a lab workstation. He wears a black hoodie and looks toward the camera with a slight smile. Behind him are two computer screens—one showing a terminal with lines of code and the other displaying a flowchart with scientific diagrams. Shelves above the desk hold plastic lab containers labeled “200 uL Filter” and “1000 uL Filter.”

A Conservative Defense: Downstream NFLs Resist Evolutionary Blitzes

May. 9, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In football, defense keeps the opposing team in check. A similar strategy is at play inside our cells. Negative feedback loops (NFLs) help regulate how cells respond to signals, for example, dialing down activity when things get too intense. A new study from Vanderbilt University reveals that these...

Vanderbilt Researchers Find Warming Quickens Aging-Related Mortality in Mosquitoes

Sep. 19, 2024—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Mosquitoes tread a thinning line in warming climates, where aging accelerates and infections intensify. 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...

A young man wearing glasses is seated at a desk, working on a computer. He is typing on a keyboard and looking at the code displayed on the monitor. The desk has shelves with various items, including a framed certificate, a potted plant, and some personal belongings. Another laptop is open on the desk, displaying a different screen.

Analyzing Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Immune Systems: Computational Biology with Reese Martin

Jul. 22, 2024—By Nick McCoy, Evolutionary Studies undergraduate communications assistant Reese Martin has always been drawn to biology and exploring the behaviors of different organisms. During his childhood, he dug in anthills, and now he observes the life history traits of flower beetles and other taxa. Martin’s new first-author paper, “Pleiotropy Alleviates the Fitness Costs Associated With...

Marie-Claire Harrison sitting on a couch smiling

Graduate Student Uncovers New Galactose Assimilation Pathway

Apr. 26, 2024—By: Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies Scientific Coordinator Not to be outdone by her significant contributions to a study that appeared in April 25’s Science magazine, Marie-Claire Harrison, a graduate student in the Rokas Lab, published a first-author article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the very next day titled “Machine learning...

A group of 5 yeasts showcasing their diversity of forms

Vanderbilt Researchers Flip the Script on Yeast Ecological Diversity

Apr. 25, 2024—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator A mere decade or two ago, decoding the genome of every organism in a major branch of the tree of life and deciphering their diets was a pipedream. In a groundbreaking study, a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and other institutions worldwide have...

Charu standing in front of her research poster

Beckman Scholar Charu Balamurugan Unveils Evolutionary Insights into Penicillium Secondary Metabolites

Mar. 26, 2024—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies Scientific Coordinator Beckman Scholar Charu Balamurugan, an undergraduate researcher in the Rokas lab at Vanderbilt University, has shed light on the intricate evolutionary patterns governing secondary metabolite biosynthesis in fungi. Working with former Ph.D. student Jacob Steenwyk, lab PI Antonis Rokas, and collaborator and Global Scholars Program participant Gustavo Goldman,...

Insect Immune Insights: Researchers Unveil Immune System Dynamics

Mar. 12, 2024—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Justin Critchlow, a recent Ph.D. student in Ann Tate’s lab, just published a paper with the labmates Arun Prakash (postdoctoral researcher), Katherine Zhong (former undergraduate), and Tate, uncovering the intricacies of beetle immune dynamics. The paper was just published in PLoS Pathogens, “Mapping the functional form of the...

« Previous Page