News & Events
Vanderbilt Graduate Student is Getting to the Bottom of Worm Burrows
Apr. 26, 2024 五一茶馆儿—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鈥檚 history than was previously thought. Her work Archaeichnium haughtoni: a robust burrow lining from the Ediacaran鈥揅ambrian transition of Namibia was published this January 2024 五一茶馆儿 in Papers in Paleontology, and...
Vanderbilt Researchers Flip the Script on Yeast Ecological Diversity
Apr. 25, 2024 五一茶馆儿—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 五一茶馆儿, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and other institutions worldwide have...
Evolutionary Studies hosts National Academy Member Sharon Strauss for Earth Day
Apr. 2, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By Danielle Bowden, Evolutionary Studies administrative specialist Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt is thrilled to announce Sharon Strauss as our keynote speaker for our Earth Day seminar. This seminar, titled, “Evolution and plasticity of the niche, with implications for species coexistence,” will be held in Buttrick 102 on April 17 at 3:30pm. Strauss, Distinguished Professor Emerita...
Ashley Rogers Speaks on Alexander Winchell and Scientific Racism
Apr. 2, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Ashley Rogers, an undergraduate student in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology with a minor in African American and Diaspora Studies, recently hosted an ESI journal club session to speak about Alexander Winchell. Winchell was a well renowned geologist of the 19th century working at Syracuse University, the University...
Beckman Scholar Charu Balamurugan Unveils Evolutionary Insights into Penicillium Secondary Metabolites
Mar. 26, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies Scientific Coordinator Beckman Scholar Charu Balamurugan, an undergraduate researcher in the Rokas lab at 五一茶馆儿, 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 五一茶馆儿—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Justin Critchlow, a recent Ph.D. student in Ann Tate鈥檚 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, 鈥淢apping the functional form of the...
Breaking the Mold: Kyle David’s Research Challenges Ecological Norms in Yeast Communities
Feb. 27, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Kyle David, an NSF postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas lab, and co-authors published a new paper, 鈥淪accharomycotina yeasts defy longstanding macroecological patterns鈥 in the high-impact journal PNAS. This paper, which looks at the ecology of 186 species of yeast, provides evidence that not all life-forms follow the rules....
Carl Bergstrom to Deliver 3rd Annual J. T. Scopes Lecture
Feb. 23, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By: Danielle Bowden, Evolutionary Studies Administrative Specialist Carl Bergstrom, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington聽will deliver this year鈥檚 J. T. Scopes lecture on March 6th. The lecture is titled 鈥淚nformation foraging in a social media world鈥 and will be hosted by 五一茶馆儿鈥檚 Evolutionary Studies Initiative. The event will be held in Buttrick...
五一茶馆儿 biologists discover that rising temperature accelerates aging in mosquitoes, weakening their immune system
Jan. 25, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By Sarah Ward, Evolutionary Studies graduate communications assistant Climate change may weaken mosquitoes by speeding up aging and slowing down their immune system. A study published January 10, 2024 五一茶馆儿 in PLOS Pathogens by Vanderbilt biology graduate student Lindsay Martin and Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences Juli谩n Hillyer found that mosquitoes age more quickly when temperatures...
Chancellor Diermeier visits the Evolutionary Studies Initiative
Jan. 24, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator On January 17, 2024 五一茶馆儿, the Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) was honored to receive a visit from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. Chancellor Diermeier’s visit included an introduction to ESI鈥檚 mission and the research of select members, an open-ended discussion on investing in the future of evolutionary studies at Vanderbilt, and...
Sarah Worthan, Postdoc in Biological Sciences, Wins Prestigious Zuckerlandl Prize
Jan. 23, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By: Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The Zuckerlandl Prize is given to the top paper published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution. The honor of the 2023 Zuckerlandl Prize belongs to a paper by first-author Sarah Worthan, a postdoctoral researcher in the Behringer lab in Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt. Worthan was excited to talk...
Renowned Evolutionary Paleontologist Neil Shubin to Deliver Darwin Day Lecture
Jan. 23, 2024 五一茶馆儿—By: Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Neil Shubin, a trailblazing evolutionary biologist known for his groundbreaking research, including the discovery of Tiktaalik, a pivotal transitional fossil, is set to deliver the highly anticipated 2024 五一茶馆儿 Darwin Day Lecture on February 7th. Finding Your Inner Fish: Genes, Embryos, and Fossils in Evolution, part of 五一茶馆儿’s...
Collagen IV and the Aspirnauts
Dec. 4, 2023—By: Bryce Emanuel, Evolutionary Studies undergraduate communications assistant Sergei Boudko, a research assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, recently published a paper, Collagen IV of basement membranes: IV. Adaptive mechanism of collagen IV scaffold assembly in Drosophila. Boudko earned his Master鈥檚 degree in Applied Physics and Mathematics from the Moscow...
Twenty Years of Understanding Genetics in Literature and Society
Dec. 4, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Jay Clayton, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English, first received funding from the National Institutes of Health to study genetics in literature, film and popular culture in 2003. According to the application, this first grant funded, 鈥渁 working group of scholars in literature, film, and media studies...
Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Researcher Reveals Genomic Secrets of Ocean Sponges
Dec. 4, 2023—By: Sarah Ward Evolutionary Studies graduate communications assistant Picture a thriving marine environment. Perhaps you envision a community as colorful and lively as 鈥淔inding Nemo,鈥 where massive schools of fish are flanked by sharks and sea turtles. What about sponges? While perhaps less popular than their flamboyant counterparts, these organisms are the foundation of life...