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Vanderbilt Graduate Student is Getting to the Bottom of Worm Burrows
Apr. 26, 2024—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 in Papers in Paleontology, and...
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...
Evolutionary Studies hosts National Academy Member Sharon Strauss for Earth Day
Apr. 2, 2024—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—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—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...
Breaking the Mold: Kyle David’s Research Challenges Ecological Norms in Yeast Communities
Feb. 27, 2024—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Kyle David, an NSF postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas lab, and co-authors published a new paper, “Saccharomycotina yeasts defy longstanding macroecological patterns” 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—By: Danielle Bowden, Evolutionary Studies Administrative Specialist Carl Bergstrom, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington will deliver this year’s J. T. Scopes lecture on March 6th. The lecture is titled “Information foraging in a social media world” and will be hosted by Vanderbilt University’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative. The event will be held in Buttrick...
Vanderbilt University biologists discover that rising temperature accelerates aging in mosquitoes, weakening their immune system
Jan. 25, 2024—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 in PLOS Pathogens by Vanderbilt biology graduate student Lindsay Martin and Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences Julián Hillyer found that mosquitoes age more quickly when temperatures...
Chancellor Diermeier visits the Evolutionary Studies Initiative
Jan. 24, 2024—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator On January 17, 2024, the Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) was honored to receive a visit from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. Chancellor Diermeier’s visit included an introduction to ESI’s mission and the research of select members, an open-ended discussion on investing in the future of evolutionary studies at Vanderbilt, and...