EvolutionVU

Center for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, USA. Tweets managed by @flickanator101 and @RokasLab

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Thrilled to announce that the @VanderbiltU Evolutionary Studies Initiative is now official! Look out for a variety of exciting events, including a truly trans-disciplinary seminar series with outstanding internal & external speakers! #EvolutionVU https://t.co/LH4cJoMGV5

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

When it comes to vampire bats, sharing is caring. A bat that fed well will regurgitate blood for a starving roost-mate, and bats keep track of who has helped them before. Carter & Wilkinson (2013), Proc. B #Halloween #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Just about two weeks until Biodiversity Day at the Adventure Science Center! Reserve your spot today!
OneUpApp & Twitter make links difficult:
Remove the spaces and replace the dot (it's a Google form) --> forms (dot) gle/orp9Ntrg4RKF6i1k6

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

In honor of fall break - here's a video of about a year of phenocam photos from campus! Thanks Lin Meng for being a rockstar phenology researcher! :D #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Elephants are large. Elephants have more cells. Elephants have higher cancer risk. Elephants have more tumor suppressors. In fact, they evolved to have 20x more p53 tumor-suppressor genes than humans! 🐘

See: Abegglen, L.M. et al 2015 JAMA

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Turritopsis dohrnii, a jellyfish that might be able to live forever! It can reverse its life cycle in tough times. But life in the ocean isn’t easy, and they face plenty of dangers that could end their long lives. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Author: Bachware #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Marina Watowich (Lea Lab), along with international collaborators, recently published research in PLoS Genetics on genetic factors and environmental effects behind 'bad' cholesterol. Why do certain disease-causing genes stick around?

Check it out on our homepage! #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Ever wonder why our furry buddies are such sniffing champs? Well, it turns out dogs have a nose that's just on another level! While humans have ~5–6 million olfactory receptors, your pup is rocking between 220 and 300 million! Can you even imagine? 🤯🐕 #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Antonis Rokas has been named a fellow of the Mycological Society of America! Congratulations to our fearless leader!!! @vuartsci

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Elephants are huge, live for decades, and have way more cells that could theoretically turn cancerous, yet they get cancer less often. The likely reason: elephants carry ~20 copies of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene, vs our 1 copy, giving their cells a stronger built-in defense.

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

New research! Katharine Walls of the DeSantis DREAM Lab found that springbok tooth-wear patterns can provide clues about their environment revealing how diet & habitat influence dental wear in both modern & Pleistocene springbok. See our press release online.
@vuartsci #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

About 10% of a bdelloid rotifer's genes come from bacteria, fungi, & even plants. Researchers recently found some of those stolen genes are actual antibiotic-production genes copied from bacteria, which the rotifers now use to fight off their own fungal infections. #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Next week Thursday (9/24) we'll be holding a fund raiser at Panera Bread on 21st Ave just off campus! Come on by with the flyer or use code FUND4U between 4pm and 8pm to support our cause! Evolution of gut microbiota, anyone?

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Audrey Arner, Toby McCabe, Amanda Lea, & int'l team, developed improved process for communicating science w/ Indigenous comms. Press release on our site. Paper: Development & assessment of tailored illustrations to enhance community understandings of genetics topics

@vuartsci

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

The #axolotl is a model for regeneration. The prevailing hypothesis in #evolutionary #biology is that regeneration is likely closer to the ancestral vertebrate condition, and mammals (along with birds and adult amphibians that've undergone metamorphosis) evolved away from it .

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Last one from Tyrone - lots of froggy results! This one took a lot of editing to pack so much into 140 short seconds, sorry about any choppiness. There is so much information! #Evolution #SciComm #Frogs #Hormones

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Today, we learn how a little frog from Kenya changed Tyrone's life. #Evolution #Hormones #SciComm

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Do you see what Tyrone is building to in this clip? 🐸 🧪 #Evolution #Hormones #SciComm

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

Today, Tyrone shares his story on how he came to love frogs. 🐸 #ScopesLecture #SciComm #Evolution

[EvolutionVU @EvolutionVU]

This week, we are taking a break from our usual format to share some long overdue highlights of our March 2026 Scopes Lecture. If you find a few minutes every day - give them a listen. I'll let Megan Behringer give Tyrone B. Hayes a warm introduction!

[Vanderbilt Chemistry @VanderbiltChem]

Please join the Vanderbilt Department of Chemistry for the final dissertation defense of Ph.D. candidate Claiborne Tydings.

Claiborne's presentation is titled: Computational Design and Modeling of Peptides with Therapeutic Potential