Evolution

The cultural evolution of a population depends not only on size but also on the degree of specialization within a population, according to a new study published last month by a team of scientists including Nicole Creanza. The study found that populations can increase their cultural repertoire by subdividing knowledge into smaller groups, but the total group must be sufficiently large for specialization to be advantageous. Read More

Graduate student Reese Martin and his doctoral advisor, Ann Tate, assistant professor of biological sciences, used theoretical modeling to identify a potential relationship between genetic pleiotropy and the evolution of immune responses. Read More

Scott V. Edwards, a leading expert on the evolution of biodiversity, will deliver this year’s J. T. Scopes Lecture on Wednesday, March 29. The title of his talk is “Exploring Bird Diversity Through Genomics, Museums and a Two-wheeled Cross-country Adventure.” Read More

Vanderbilt researcher Amanda Lea, along with a global team of experts, has discovered new pathways of natural selection in humans. Read More

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. Read More

Richard Lenski, a world-renowned evolutionary biologist whose long-term experiment of the microorganism Escherichia coli has been running for more than three decades, will deliver the 2023 Darwin Day Lecture at Vanderbilt University on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Read More

Local students from Stratford and Overton high schools got to excavate 70 million-year-old oysters, clams and shrimp at the Evolutionary Studies Initiative fossil search. The event aimed to teach students about food webs and to connect students with ESI grad students, postdocs and faculty to talk about college, science and evolution. Read More

Annie Hatmaker, along with a team of researchers including her adviser, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences Antonis Rokas, recently published a study identifying the differences in virulence among Aspergillus species, a common human-pathogenic genus of fungi. Read More

Laura Novick and Jingyi Liu published a paper highlighting the importance of intentionally and thoughtfully designed figures to explain evolutionary relationships and overcome preconceived misconceptions. Read More

Julián F. Hillyer, professor of biological sciences, and his research team discovered how mosquito immune and circulatory systems are related. This work may lead to the development of novel strategies that protect beneficial insects or harm detrimental ones. Read More

Feedback from editors and reviewers of academic journals is an often-understated driver of new research directions. Assistant Professor of Earth and environmental sciences Simon Darroch, found this to be the case for his new paper examining the differences between geographic ranges of species historic and living. Read More

Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named to the 2022–24 cohort of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Azrieli Global Scholars in recognition of her outstanding early-career research and interdisciplinary work. Lea’s research interests span evolutionary biology, genomics and human health.  Read More

Vanderbilt and Arizona State University microbiologists explore the effects of feast and famine cycles on E. coli, providing insight into how the bacterial communities that reside in our guts, with our crops, in lakes and streams, and beyond become so complex. Read More

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria represent an ongoing global health crisis of (literally) biblical proportions. LJ Zwiebel has identified the biological factors that help female mosquitos mate, suck blood and sense environmental threats. Est. reading time: 1.5 mins. Read More

Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named a 2022 Searle Scholar, an honor bestowed on 15 exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Lea will receive $300,000 in flexible funding to support her work over the next three years. Read More

Graduate student measures the coevolution of genes in genomes; method may fundamentally change how we identify genes with similar functions. Read More

Growing up in a small community has its advantages, but if you want to learn from world experts, you may have better luck in a big city. This is the case in the world of birds as well. Large populations of birds might be better able to maintain complex songs than small populations – all because of access to high-quality tutors. Read More

Members of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative took a field trip to Coon Creek Science Center (CCSC) to dig for fossils. Read More

Jacob Steenwyk, a sixth-year doctoral student studying biology in The Rokas Lab, is a recipient of the 2022 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award presented by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He is the second Vanderbilt student ever to receive this honor. Read More

The Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative welcomes image forensics detective Elisabeth Bik for the inaugural J.T. Scopes virtual lecture. The lecture series highlights the work of high-profile scientists that speak truth to power and defend science. Read More