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Museum Studies: Curiosity as Common Ground
Mar. 31, 2026—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In fall 2026, Evolutionary Studies member and assistant professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Neil Kelley and History of Art and Architecture assistant professor Susan Dine began teaching a new Museum Practice course. The course offers a focused, immersive, case- and project-based intro to museum practices and is...
Vanderbilt Postdoc Kate Snyder Uncovers How Boundaries and Bonds Build Bird Song
Feb. 25, 2026—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Female song is far more widespread in songbirds than many people realize, occurring in about two thirds of songbird species, and new research is reshaping how scientists understand its evolution. Using large-scale species-level datasets collected on songbird behaviors, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Nicole Creanza and her lab...
Vanderbilt Researchers Show Some Anaerobic Bacteria Have Surprisingly High Mutation Rates
Feb. 17, 2026—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Ask any biologist what causes DNA mutations, and oxygen will likely make the shortlist. It is reactive, super-abundant, and has been fingered as a major culprit in genetic damage for decades. So, here is a head-scratcher: if oxygen is such a DNA troublemaker, bacteria that avoid it entirely...
Evolutionary Studies Initiative Receives NIH Training Grant for Computational Evolutionary Approaches to Disease
Dec. 5, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In July 2025, the Evolutionary Studies Initiative at 天美传媒官网 secured its first initiative-wide grant to train the next generation of biomedical scientists. The grant funded through the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences T32 Training Program, provides funding for two graduate students annually...
Giant Ground Sloth Extinction Led to Loss of Ecological Services
Oct. 22, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Giant ground sloths were more than just Ice Age oddities. They were ecosystem engineers whose disappearance reshaped the landscapes they once roamed. A new study from 天美传媒官网鈥檚 DREAM Lab reveals just how diverse these megaherbivores鈥 diets were, highlighting the ecological roles that vanished when they went extinct....
City Lights Are Rewriting the Calendar: Vanderbilt Researchers Show Artificial Light Extends Urban Growing Seasons
Sep. 23, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator City lights are rewriting the calendar. A new global study from Vanderbilt researchers Lin Meng and Huidong Li shows that artificial light at night is more powerful than temperature in extending urban growing seasons 鈥 keeping trees greener longer, with consequences for carbon cycling, frost risk, and even...
Partnership with Turkana Community Helps Scientists Discover Genes Involved in Adaptation to Desert Living
Sep. 18, 2025—Originally posted by UC-Berkeley team, edits by Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Scientists Discover Key Genetic Adaptations in Partnership with Turkana Pastoralists of Northern Kenya Groundbreaking study reveals how thousands of years of natural selection shaped remarkable adaptations to an extreme environment. Through a collaboration between US and Kenyan researchers and Turkana communities of...
Annie Hatmaker Explores the Global Diversity of a Pathogenic Fungus
Aug. 18, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Annie Hatmaker, Ph.D., has spent the better part of a decade studying fungi and their secondary metabolites 鈥 small molecules they use to communicate, defend, and thrive. Her new publication, 鈥淧opulation structure in a fungal human pathogen is potentially linked to pathogenicity,鈥 closes her dissertation work and opens...
Vanderbilt鈥檚 Evolutionary Studies Initiative Honored with 2025 Friend of Darwin Award
Jun. 4, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has named 天美传媒官网鈥檚 Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) as one of its 2025 recipients of the prestigious Friend of Darwin award. This national honor recognizes ESI鈥檚 outstanding contributions to advancing public understanding of evolution through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Directed...
A Conservative Defense:聽Downstream NFLs Resist Evolutionary Blitzes
May. 9, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In football, defense keeps the opposing team in check. A similar strategy is at play inside our cells. Negative feedback loops (NFLs) help regulate how cells respond to signals, for example, dialing down activity when things get too intense. A new study from 天美传媒官网 reveals that these...