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' 2025 Wrapped. What was your favorite moment of the year? #Evolution
Square graphic titled “2025 Wrapped” in a bold, modern style inspired by Spotify Wrapped. Text reads: “Your most-watched video this year: Sean Carroll — Chance in Evolution (1,200+ views).” Below, additional stats read: “21 speakers” and “147 new subscribers.” The background features abstract, layered shapes in green, teal, and blue tones, with a celebratory, year-in-review feel. The layout emphasizes growth, impact, and community engagement around evolutionary science talks.
December 31, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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
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
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
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
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
evolutionvu.bsky.social
All talks from Session VI: The Relationship of #Evolution and Religion are online! https://loom.ly/4IBdeAk

@ncse.bsky.social @lizbarnes.bsky.social @revbatgirl.bsky.social
Photo of Jamie Jensen smiling while giving a talk. Text reads: Jamie Jensen – Reconciling Evolution and Belief. Logos for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, NCSE (National Center for Science Education), and Vanderbilt University appear at the bottom. Photo of Katy Hinman speaking at a podium with a remote in hand. Slide text reads “Katy Hinman — Science and (not versus) Religion.” Logos for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, NCSE (National Center for Science Education), and Vanderbilt University appear along the bottom, with a small chalkboard graphic labeled “Science / Religion” at right. Photo of Liz Barnes speaking with hands raised mid-point, wearing a gray blazer and black shirt. Slide text reads “Liz Barnes — Promoting Harmony between Religion and Evolution.” Logos for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, NCSE (National Center for Science Education), and Vanderbilt University appear along the bottom; a small signpost graphic at right shows “Muslim,” “Catholic,” “Buddhist,” and “Atheist.” Photo of Lee Meadows speaking, one hand raised, wearing glasses and a blue plaid jacket. Slide text reads “Lee Meadows — Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Evolution.” Logos for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, NCSE (National Center for Science Education), and Vanderbilt University appear along the bottom, with a small Nashville skyline photo at right.
September 5, 2025 at 1:11 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
How do you teach #evolution where faith is central? Lee Meadows shares classroom-tested practices that lower conflict and keep students engaged with the evidence: https://loom.ly/_TfXC_U

#Scopes100 #ScienceAndReligion @ncse.bsky.social
Photo of Lee Meadows speaking, one hand raised, wearing glasses and a blue plaid jacket. Slide text reads “Lee Meadows — Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Evolution.” Logos for Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, NCSE (National Center for Science Education), and Vanderbilt University appear along the bottom, with a small Nashville skyline photo at right.
September 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
evolutionvu.bsky.social
Comment or like this post if y'all would like ~1-minute clips from our Scopes "Monkey" Trial Centennial Symposium posted here. We've been putting them on TikTok and Instagram - but perhaps you'd like them here, too! Here's an example clip that did quite well on TT. #Evolution @ncse.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 11:19 AM