Simon Darroch

By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator A new study, led by alumnus Andrei Olaru in Paleobiology titled, “Functional morphology of the Ediacaran organism Tribrachidium heraldicum” sheds light on the functional morphology one of the earliest known large and complex animals. Using advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the research explores… Read More

By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Graduate student Kat Turk from Vanderbilt University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, along with an international team of collaborators, has uncovered new evidence that ancient priapulid worms, through their burrowing behavior, may have been some of the earliest ecosystem engineers. The… Read More

By: Sarah Ward, Evolutionary Studies Graduate Communications Assistant Vanderbilt graduate student Katherine Turk and colleagues found that worm burrowing behaviors could have emerged earlier in earth’s history than was previously thought. Her work Archaeichnium haughtoni: a robust burrow lining from the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition of Namibia was published this January 2024… Read More

By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Pectinifrons abyssalis from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada(A–C) Photographs of steep ‘U’-shaped (A), ‘S’-shaped (B), and gentle ‘U’-shaped (C) morphotypes of Pectinifrons. Scale bars: 5 cm.(D) Schematic diagrams of Pectinifrons morphotypes. The classic idiom form fits function does not always mean that… Read More

By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Science is an inherently collaborative endeavor. When a respected colleague courteously disagrees with your point of view, it can lead to great new papers, perspectives and collaborations. In that same vein, feedback from editors and reviewers of academic journals is an often-understated driver… Read More

On Saturday, 3/26/22, a handful of members of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative took a field trip to Coon Creek Science Center (CCSC) to dig for fossils. It was a beautiful day where many trainees that have never studied paleontology got to get out and do some field work. Attendees… Read More