Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
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evolutionvu.bsky.social
Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
@evolutionvu.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.1K following 150 posts
Building a world-class center for evolution in the heart of Tennessee. Wish us luck. Opinions belong to Andy and not VU.
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evolutionvu.bsky.social
Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt @evolutionvu.bsky.social · Dec 6
We are getting excited about next summer! Along with #ScopesSymposium, we're hosting #ISEMPH2025. We are so grateful for folks like @paulturnerlab.bsky.social, Nicole Bender & Michelle Blythe. We hope you'll join us in #Nashville to talk about #Evolution, #Medicine, and Public Health!
A promotional flyer for the ISEMPH 2025 Meeting. The header features Vanderbilt University and Nashville, Tennessee, with side-by-side images of the university’s campus and Nashville's downtown nightlife. Below, the text announces "ISEMPH 2025 Meeting, July 8-10, 2025," with the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health (ISEMPH) logo on the left and the Evolutionary Studies Initiative logo on the right. Vanderbilt University’s logo is at the bottom. A three-panel brochure for the Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt University. The left panel describes the initiative, stating its aim to unite scholars across disciplines and featuring a logo of a tree-like design. Below it, sections highlight the Scopes Festival, Scopes Seminars, and the ISEMPH Conference, providing details about each event. The center panel displays logos for affiliated organizations, including the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and ISEMPH, alongside Vanderbilt University’s logo. The right panel features an image of a Vanderbilt building, titled "Scopes 'Monkey' Trial Centennial Celebration," and invites participation in 2025 events with a QR code for more information.
evolutionvu.bsky.social
To end the day, we had a trivia session hosted by Mike Garvin. It was super fun and had Nashville, Scopes, and general Evolution questions! #Evolution
Wide view of the ESI Retreat trivia session. Attendees sit at round tables in a large event space, talking and collaborating in small groups. At the front of the room, a projected slide labeled “Final Question” is displayed on a screen while a host stands nearby with a microphone. The room has warm lighting, wooden floors, and a festive atmosphere. A trivia host stands at the front of the room holding a microphone beside a projected slide titled “Round 2 – Nashville & Vanderbilt Trivia (2 points).” The slide displays a question about Diego Pavia and the Commodores. Participants seated at tables in the foreground turn toward the screen, discussing possible answers. A projected slide reads “Round 3 – Evolution & Scopes Trial (1 point each, up to 3)” with a question asking what jobs John Scopes held during his life. The trivia host stands to the side with a microphone while attendees at nearby tables lean in to talk and think through their answers.
December 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Our trainee session highlighted the incredible range of work happening across the ESI. From #outreach and education programs, to pilot grant–supported research, to CoEvoD trainee presentations - the talks reflected intellectual breadth & real-world impact. #Evolution
A four-panel collage showing CoEvoD graduate trainees presenting research talks at an indoor retreat. Each panel shows a trainee standing with a microphone in front of a projected slide, covering topics such as environmental stress, bacterial evolution, microbiomes, and health. Audience members are seated in front of the screen, and holiday decorations are visible in the background. A large collage of photos from a research retreat showing many trainees presenting short talks. Each image features a speaker with a microphone in front of slides on topics including evolution, genomics, microbiomes, health, ecology, and computational biology. The images highlight the wide range of research areas and the diversity of speakers and presentations.
December 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Faculty talks during the retreat highlighted the breadth of evolutionary research across Vanderbilt — from experimental evolution and genomics to ecology, behavior and global change. #Evolution @vuartsci.bsky.social
A faculty member presents a slide summarizing multiple research projects, with figures and portraits of trainees, while speaking to an audience seated at round tables during the ESI Retreat. A faculty speaker gestures toward a projected slide on experimental evolution and mutation accumulation while addressing an audience at the ESI Retreat. A faculty member presents the ESI Annual Retreat opening remarks, standing beside a projected slide as attendees watch from their seats. A collage of faculty speakers presenting diverse evolutionary research topics during the ESI Retreat, showing multiple talks and slides across the session.
December 22, 2025 at 2:49 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
The retreat opened with talks from John Gibbons, Natasha Vitek & Jen Wisecaver, exploring evolution across scales from microbial genomes & ecology to patterns in the fossil record. A strong start that set the tone for the day
#Evolution #ScienceCommunication
A speaker presents research on microbial domestication, gesturing toward a projected diagram that illustrates evolutionary transitions from wild microbial communities to domesticated, stable systems shaped by ecological interactions. A speaker presents research on bridging micro- and macroevolution, standing in front of a projected slide that shows evolutionary timescales from short-term microevolution to deep-time patterns preserved in the fossil record. A speaker stands beside a projected phylogenetic tree of eukaryotic lineages, illustrating genome evolution, endosymbiosis, and relationships among major groups such as algae, plants, and protists.
December 19, 2025 at 2:30 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Last week, faculty, trainees, alumni and friends gathered for our annual retreat. It was a day of talks, trivia and conversation spanning #evolution, medicine, ecology, and genomics. A great reminder of the interdisciplinary community that makes ESI work. More retreat highlights soon…
Group photo of faculty, trainees, alumni, and staff from the Evolutionary Studies Initiative standing together at the ESI Retreat. The group is arranged in several rows inside an industrial event space with exposed beams and wood floors, smiling toward the camera. A holiday wreath hangs on the wall behind them, and tables with notebooks and coffee cups are visible in the foreground. The photo captures a large, interdisciplinary academic community gathered for a full-day retreat.
December 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
ncse.bsky.social
Reminder! Our Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet webinar is coming up this Thurs., 12/4! Join us virtually as we celebrate 2025's award recipients. This online event is free and will include a Q&A after brief comments from the winners. Register - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#soundscience
ncse.bsky.social National Center for Science Education @ncse.bsky.social · Nov 13
Join us virtually on 12/4 at 6 ET as we celebrate our 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet recipients. Register in advance for a link - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #CelebrateScience #ScienceSky #ClimateSky
Flyer image. The text reads: 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet Awards. December 4 at 6:00 ET. Register for this virtual event to receive a link. 6 images featuring this year's recepients: Katie Hinde, a group photo of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse, John Toohey-Morales, a group photo of the CLEO Institute, and Kim Cobb. The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of Darwin. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: Katie Hinde, Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse. Images: Headshot of Katie Hinde, group photo of Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, headshot of Randolph M. Nesse. The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of the Planet. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: John Toohey-Morales, The CLEO Institute, Kim Cobb. Images: Headshot of John Toohey-Morales, group photo of the CLEO Institute, headshot of Kim Cobb.
December 1, 2025 at 5:47 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
It's our last week of short #Scopes100 videos on TikTok & Insta. 🥺 Check out Lee Meadow's talk on Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Evolution tomorrow thru Thursday & end the week with a final clip from Steve Brusatte's talk about #Fossils. @ncse.bsky.social
December 1, 2025 at 2:13 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
We're in the age of mammals, right @stevebrusatte.bsky.social? @ncse.bsky.social #Evolution #FossilFriday #Scopes100
November 28, 2025 at 1:33 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
This week, we're #thankful for our colleague @lizbarnes.bsky.social, who's working to promote harmony between #religion & #evolution! Tune in on Insta or TikTok through Thursday to see her #Scopes100 clips. @ncse.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Come visit us this week at #ABRCMS2025! We've got great swag and a new BuzzFeed-style quiz to check out! #Evolution
A tall streetlamp glows brightly against the backdrop of a modern hotel building with rows of large windows in muted blue and beige panels. Attached to the pole is a vertical banner that reads “WELCOME! ABRCMS 2025, November 19–22, 2025, San Antonio,” featuring a colorful circular logo at the top and a floral-style icon at the bottom. The scene is overcast, giving the building a slightly hazy appearance, and a faint reflection of an interior light and a person is visible in one of the windows. A conference booth for Vanderbilt University’s Evolutionary Biology program sits in a large exhibit hall. The booth features blue and gray curtain dividers and a simple sign overhead labeled “Vanderbilt University: Evolutionary Biology, 1029.” On the table are magazines, brochures, yellow smiley-face giveaway items, black containers, and wooden puzzles. A large banner on the front of the table spells “EVOLVE” with a group photo of ESI members filling the letters. A view of the San Antonio River Walk showing a narrow river bordered by walkways, restaurants, and trees. A small arched pedestrian bridge crosses the water in the foreground. On the left is a building with large glass windows and a sign for a restaurant named "Macaroni Grill," with outdoor seating visible. On the right, a cluster of colorful umbrella-covered tables lines the riverside. Two people walk along the lower path near the water, and greenery frames the scene.
November 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Check out Brynn Wooten's work featured in @livescience.com and covered on our website - https://loom.ly/rVt1O2o! Proud alum of Fort Hays State University @vuartsci.bsky.social #HellPig
November 20, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Reposted by Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
ncse.bsky.social
Join us virtually on 12/4 at 6 ET as we celebrate our 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet recipients. Register in advance for a link - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #CelebrateScience #ScienceSky #ClimateSky
Flyer image. The text reads: 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet Awards. December 4 at 6:00 ET. Register for this virtual event to receive a link. 6 images featuring this year's recepients: Katie Hinde, a group photo of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse, John Toohey-Morales, a group photo of the CLEO Institute, and Kim Cobb. The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of Darwin. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: Katie Hinde, Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse. Images: Headshot of Katie Hinde, group photo of Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, headshot of Randolph M. Nesse. The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of the Planet. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: John Toohey-Morales, The CLEO Institute, Kim Cobb. Images: Headshot of John Toohey-Morales, group photo of the CLEO Institute, headshot of Kim Cobb.
November 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Welsey Roberts presents his evidence that teaching #evolution works and it doesn't have to be religion OR evolution. @ncse.bsky.social #teaching #scicomm
November 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
What can we learn from Natural History Museums? @corriemoreau.bsky.social gives some examples! #evolution #scicomm #museums @ncse.bsky.social
October 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Giant ground sloths were ecosystem engineers whose disappearance reshaped the landscapes they once roamed. A new study from the DeSantis Lab reveals how diverse these megaherbivores’ diets were. @vuartsci.bsky.social #Evolution
Read more: https://loom.ly/oY_Gtzo
A promotional graphic announcing new research titled “Lost Giants, Lost Functions” from Biology Letters. In the center is a screenshot of the article webpage, showing the title “Lost giants, lost functions: palaeodietary insights into the ecological niches of Pleistocene ground sloths” by Aditya Kurre and Larisa R.G. DeSantis, published on October 22, 2025. On the left, Adi Kurre appears in graduation attire, and on the right, Larisa DeSantis holds a fossil specimen. The background is a watercolor forest scene. Below, there are three illustrations: a smiling modern sloth, a stylized brown prehistoric ground sloth, and a skeletal reconstruction of a large extinct sloth. Text at the top reads “New Research Alert! Lost Giants, Lost Functions.”
October 23, 2025 at 1:20 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
If you're in #Nashville this weekend, come see us at Fossils at the Fort this Saturday at Fort Negley from 10am - 1pm! #Evolution
A wide slide with two photos and orange text reading Fossils at the Fort (Negley) 10am - 1pm. Photos are both of the grassy area near the fence with a table set up with evolution-y stuff and folks from evolutionary studies leading outreach activities.
October 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Given how well these videos do on Instagram, I thought I'd share one here, too! A #FossilFriday clip with @stevebrusatte.bsky.social. T. rex had feathers, but not for flying. #Evolution #Scopes100 #Dinosaurs @ncse.bsky.social
October 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
New Research!
Lin Meng shows that urban vegetation leafs out ~12 days earlier and holds leaves ~11 days later. This may help cool cities but longer growing seasons can increase frost damage and may prolong allergy seasons. Read More >> https://loom.ly/KWziaxI
#Evolution #Phenology #Trees
Map of the contiguous United States at night showing artificial light levels as bright pink and yellow clusters, concentrated around cities such as Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, which are highlighted in zoomed-in boxes. A color bar shows light intensity (ALAN) from dark to bright. At the bottom right, Lin Meng is pictured smiling, wearing glasses and a white shirt. Below is the quote: 'Our research shows that local urban conditions, like artificial light at night, substantially reshape plant responses.' – Lin Meng.
September 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Eis: machine learning to reverse-engineer #evolution. Brassington (@amandalea.bsky.social): Evolutionary mismatch. Rose: Genome-scale models. Bruder (@megbehri.bsky.social): Computational & experimental microbial evolution.
September 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
nessanichasaide.bsky.social
"This research demonstrates how our ancestors adapted to dramatic climate shifts through genetic evolution,” Dr Epem Esekon,Turkana county’s health and sanitation sector. Research: Turkana Basin Institute @evolutionvu.bsky.social #TurkanaCountyKE @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Kenya’s Turkana people genetically adapted to live in harsh environment, study suggests
Research which began with conversations round a campfire and went on to examine 7m gene variants shows how people survive with little water and a meat-rich diet
www.theguardian.com
September 19, 2025 at 11:47 AM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Genes for desert survival discovered! New study by @amandalea.bsky.social w/ Turkana community shows how #evolution shaped their ability to thrive in extreme heat & water scarcity. @vuartsci.bsky.social https://loom.ly/4cFtYKo
Amanda Lea, standing with a microphone, presents research in front of a projected slide to a seated audience. The slide shows images and text describing projects, including the Turkana Health and Genomics Project. Below the photo, on a yellow-orange gradient background, a quote reads, “Working with transitioning populations can lead to new models for understanding how present-day environments interact with past adaptations.” – Amanda Lea. A stylized black DNA strand curves vertically along the right edge of the banner. Traditional Turkana huts dot a dry, dusty landscape under a bright blue sky. Small clusters of round, thatched huts sit on a flat, sandy plain with sparse shrubs and distant trees. The Kenyan flag in the shape of the country is placed in the lower right corner, and text above reads, “The Turkana homeland stretches across a vast arid landscape in northern Kenya where shade is rare and water even rarer.” A warm gradient banner at the bottom credits the photo to Julien Ayroles. Three Turkana individuals walk away from the camera across a sandy landscape at sunset, two carrying yellow jerrycans balanced on their heads. The sky glows with soft orange, pink, and purple hues fading into blue. The text in the lower left reads, “Turkana carrying water back to their households (photo credit Michel Mata).”
September 18, 2025 at 7:33 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
All three of Ken's videos did really well on TikTok, here's the one that did the best!

Quotes for the back of the book can come from unexpected places, explains #biologist Ken Miller. #Evolution #Scopes100 @ncse.bsky.social
September 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
For @omearabrian.bsky.social, the only one who seems to have wanted videos here... Here's another talk that did well on TikTok. It's Marlene Zuk talking about Prickle Princesses! #DogSky #Evolution #Behavior
September 11, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt
adamlaats.bsky.social
Scopes Summer continues--even after Labor Day.

For everyone interested, the good folks at @evolutionvu.bsky.social and @ncse.bsky.social have made all the Vanderbilt talks available.

Check out Ed Larson, Ken Miller, Lee Meadows, Amanda Townley, Barbara Forrest...tons of amazing speakers, plus me.
The Scopes "Monkey" Trial at 100 | National Center for Science Education
The Scopes "Monkey" Trial at 100 NCSE Executive Director Amanda L. Townley presents at the Scopes "Monkey Trial" Centennial Symposium.
ncse.ngo
September 8, 2025 at 2:57 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
ALL the full talks from #Scopes100 are available on our YouTube playlist: https://loom.ly/4IBdeAk

@ncse.bsky.social #Evolution
September 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM