Author
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...
Sarah Worthan, Postdoc in Biological Sciences, Wins Prestigious Zuckerlandl Prize
Jan. 23, 2024—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—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 Darwin Day Lecture on February 7th. Finding Your Inner Fish: Genes, Embryos, and Fossils in Evolution, part of Vanderbilt University’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’s 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, “a 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 “Finding Nemo,” 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...