Evolution
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The Hunger Games: E.coli Edition demonstrates how mutualism and cooperative behavior shape species
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 MoreJun 9, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Discovery of mosquito survival tactics leaves room for new disease vector control tactics
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 MoreJun 1, 2022
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Amanda Lea named 2022 Searle Scholar, wins $300K to pursue research on effect of early-life environments on human health
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 MoreMay 20, 2022
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Vanderbilt researchers develop new evolutionary approach for identifying proteins that functionally interact
Graduate student measures the coevolution of genes in genomes; method may fundamentally change how we identify genes with similar functions. Read MoreMay 4, 2022
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Researchers suggest that complex bird songs might require large populations
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 MoreApr 29, 2022
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ESI Group Visits Coon Creek Science Center
Members of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative took a field trip to Coon Creek Science Center (CCSC) to dig for fossils. Read MoreMar 28, 2022
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Graduate student Steenwyk receives prestigious 2022 Harold M. Weintraub Award
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 MoreMar 22, 2022
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Evolutionary Studies Initiative hosts Elisabeth Bik, top academic ethics sleuth, for virtual J.T. Scopes Lecture
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 MoreMar 1, 2022
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Literature researchers identify attitudes toward genetics across 100 years of film and television
Science’s influence on pop culture is undeniable, and the reverse is equally important. Research led by Jay Clayton, the first literature professor to ever receive funding from the NIH, shows that films portray genetic science as risky far more often than television shows. Read MoreFeb 28, 2022
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Kenneth Catania receives 2022 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books
Kenneth Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences, has received the 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult Science Book category for "Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels and Other Tales of Evolution’s Mysteries Solved." Read MoreFeb 15, 2022
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Researchers aim to define host-parasite interactions by modeling the effects of coinfection on community dynamics
Research conducted at Vanderbilt by Faith Rovenolt and Ann Tate has been published in a new study in The American Naturalist that models how parasites interact to affect their host’s behavior. The results of the research reinforce an understanding of the influence of disease in community dynamics. Read MoreFeb 14, 2022
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Vanderbilt astronomers discover exceedingly rare star
A team of astronomers has made the discovery of a lifetime that will help answer burning questions on the evolution of stars. The group is led by Keivan Stassun, Evolutionary Studies Initiative member and Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Read MoreFeb 11, 2022
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Vanderbilt-led researchers show that generalist species are ‘jack of all trades and masters of all’
Over the past decade, Larisa DeSantis, paleontologist and associate professor of biological sciences, has worked with a team of former Vanderbilt undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and experts from across the globe to show how species can be both generalized at the species level and specialized individually—a probable key to their success. Read MoreFeb 9, 2022
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Patel Lab earns new grant to study evolutionary trade-offs between reproduction and aging
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Maulik Patel and his lab have received a Pilot Research Grant from the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative to study reproduction and aging. Read MoreFeb 4, 2022
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Vanderbilt researchers combine paleontology and fluid physics to uncover Ediacaran nurseries
Looking at prehistoric organisms allows Simon Darroch and his students to describe how, when and why complex life evolved on this planet. Their work is a piece of the puzzle in understanding how likely it is that we’ll find complex life beyond Earth. Read MoreJan 7, 2022
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Vanderbilt researcher outlines how whales’ sensory systems have evolved through imaging technology
In a review of 100 years of research on the sensory systems in whales, Rachel Racicot, research assistant professor of biological sciences, describes advances in the field and key questions that remain. Read MoreDec 2, 2021
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Research Snapshot: Darwin’s magnificent mystery and the microbiome
Vanderbilt researchers are reimagining Charles Darwin’s work by communicating how the origin of species might depend largely on the microbiome—the totality of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms—living in or on a host body. Read MoreNov 1, 2021
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Duke professor and author to discuss ‘What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Evolution’ May 19
Mohamed A. F. Noor, professor of biological sciences and dean of natural sciences at Duke University, will take part in a virtual discussion of his book, "Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds," on Wednesday, May 19, at 3:10 p.m. CT as part of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt Seminar Series. Read MoreApr 30, 2021
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Vanderbilt researcher explains Pizzly bear hybrid species
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Larisa DeSantis discusses pizzly bears (grizzy + polar bear hybrid species)! Read MoreApr 20, 2021
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Vanderbilt scientists use fossil records to understand the present, predict future ecosystems
Vanderbilt environmental scientists show that patterns found in fossil records of ancient ecosystems may be the key to combating today’s biodiversity crisis and making informed conservation decisions. Read MoreApr 19, 2021