Biological Sciences

By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Ask any biologist what causes DNA mutations, and oxygen will likely make the shortlist. It is reactive, super-abundant, and has been fingered as a major culprit in genetic damage for decades. So, here is a head-scratcher: if oxygen is such a DNA troublemaker,… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Hatmaker posing with the Evolutionary Studies outreach casts. 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… Read More

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… Read More

By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Barr (left) and Hillyer in the lab. Submitted photo 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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Co-first author Abigail LaBella 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,… Read More

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,… Read More