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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 – small molecules they use to communicate, defend, and thrive. Her new publication, “Population structure in a fungal human pathogen is potentially linked to pathogenicity,” closes her dissertation work and opens...

A man with short dark hair, a beard, and glasses sits at a lab workstation. He wears a black hoodie and looks toward the camera with a slight smile. Behind him are two computer screens—one showing a terminal with lines of code and the other displaying a flowchart with scientific diagrams. Shelves above the desk hold plastic lab containers labeled “200 uL Filter” and “1000 uL Filter.”

A Conservative Defense: 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 91�Թ�� reveals that these...

New Research Reveals Surprising Dietary Similarities Among Saber-Toothed Cats—Plus, Join Us for a Special Kids’ Day Event at Bridgestone Arena!

Apr. 4, 2025—Nashville, TN – April 4, 2025 – A innovative study led by researchers from 91�Թ�� sheds new light on the dietary ecology of the iconic saber-toothed cat, Smilodon. The study, published in a special issue on sabertoothed organisms in The Anatomical Record, reveals that Smilodon fatalis and Smilodon gracilis—two species that lived thousands to...

Castiglione Lab Discover Horses Run Faster by Ignoring an Ancient Mutation that Says ‘Stop’

Mar. 27, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Evolution often makes a deal with the devil, creating challenges for treating human disease. By mass, the muscles of thoroughbred racehorses consume more than twice the oxygen of elite human athletes. Yet, oxygen produces free radicals, which damage organ tissues. Balancing energy production with oxidative stress is also...

Ken Catania sitting in his office holding a staff with a skull reproduction.

91�Թ�� Researcher Finds Jewel Wasp Cocoons Can Withstand Cannibalism

Nov. 15, 2024—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator New research from Ken Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences, shows another incredible result. The “Cocoon of the Developing Emerald Jewel Wasp (Ampulex compressa) Resists Cannibalistic Predation of the Zombified Host” was published in Brain, Behavior, and Evolution. Catania’s research program focuses on the weird in nature. His...

A group of people is seated on a brightly patterned mat inside a rustic room. A local man smiles and waves at the camera, while others, including two researchers using tablet devices, sit nearby. The background includes personal belongings and a small fan, giving the space a homely feel.

Beyond the Thrifty Genotype: Examining Evolutionary Hypotheses for Modern Metabolic Health

Nov. 12, 2024—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies Scientific Coordinator A new review co-led by graduate students Layla Brassington and Audrey Arner of the Lea Lab discusses the formulation of the popular and impactful Thrifty Genotype Hypothesis. This hypothesis, proposed by James Neel in 1962, suggests that fat deposition and energy conservation were once useful traits in times...

Sylvia Cheever, a Ph.D. student in Biological Anthropology, stands outside a trace metal clean laboratory in protective lab gear, including a yellow hair cover, goggles, and a white lab coat.

Ancient Bones, Modern Insights: Investigating Mercury Exposure in Colonial Peru

Nov. 11, 2024—By: Alexandria Leeper, Evolutionary Studies graduate communications assistant Sylvia Cheever, a Ph.D. student in Biological Anthropology at 91�Թ��, is uncovering the hidden stories of indigenous communities affected by colonial exploitation in Peru. Supported by a pilot grant from the 91�Թ�� Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Cheever’s research focuses on measuring mercury levels in ancient human bones...

91�Թ�� Alumnus Uncovers Feeding Strategies of Ancient Ediacaran Organisms

Oct. 22, 2024—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator A new study, led by alumnus Andrei Olaru in Paleobiology titled, “Functional morphology of the Ediacaran organism Tribrachidium heraldicum” sheds light on the functional morphology one of the earliest known large and complex animals. Using advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the research explores how this 550-million-year-old organism, characterized...

Ken Catania to Present Evolution-focused, Spooky Halloween Talk

Oct. 1, 2024—By Danielle Bowden, Evolutionary Studies administrative specialist Nashville, TN –– 91�Թ��’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative is thrilled to announce that distinguished evolutionary biologist Kenneth Catania will be delivering the Halloween Spooktacular Lecture as part of the ESI seminar series. Catania is a professor of Biological Sciences at 91�Թ��. The lecture, titled “Science Lessons from...

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