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Carlos Taboada Joins Vanderbilt University and Evolutionary Studies Initiative
Aug. 28, 2023—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Carlos Taboada is the newest member of the Vanderbilt University Evolutionary Studies Initiative. Taboada’s research focuses on the evolutionary biochemistry of animal coloration. In Taboada’s words, “our lab lies at the interface of biochemistry, evolution, and visual ecology. We investigate the mechanisms that explain remarkable optical traits in...
New Avenue for Understanding Antibiotic Resistance Evolution
Aug. 1, 2023—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In a new paper led by Houra Merrikh, the team showed that oxidative stress is a major factor in the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The paper, “Oxidative stress drives mutagenesis through transcription-coupled repair in bacteria,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences....
National Center for Science Education Hosts Conference at Vanderbilt University
Jul. 19, 2023—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The National Center for Science Education supports teachers in accurately conveying what can often be seen as the difficult or even politicized concepts in science. Making strides to help teachers understand topics like climate change and evolution are high priorities for the organization. This year, NCSE chose Vanderbilt...
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...
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 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,...
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 MĂ©todos de SelecciĂłn Natural en Poblaciones Menos Estudiadas
Feb. 21, 2023—de Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Amanda Lea, profesora asistente en biologĂa, con un equipo de expertos globales, han descubierto nuevas secuencias de selecciĂłn natural en humanos. El equipo, dirigido por el codirector del Proyecto de Salud y AntropologĂa Tsimane (Tsimane Health and Life History Project) Michael Gurven de la Universidad de California Santa...
Vanderbilt Researcher Identifies Modes of Natural Selection in Understudied Human Populations
Feb. 16, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator (Spanish/español) Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biology, along with a global team of experts, have discovered new pathways of natural selection in humans. The group, led by Tsimane Health and Life History Project co-Director Michael Gurven of the University of California, Santa Barbara, studied two populations of Bolivians...