Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt

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Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt This page will post updates related to Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt. Opinions are Andy's

Then and Now. The 1890s had James Safford and Paul Jones. The 2020s have Larisa DeSantis and Gianni Castiglione. The que...
10/22/2026

Then and Now. The 1890s had James Safford and Paul Jones. The 2020s have Larisa DeSantis and Gianni Castiglione. The questions and methods may have changed - but the thread of evolution still weaves through their teaching and research!

Elephants are large. Elephants have more cells. Elephants have higher cancer risk. Elephants have more tumor suppressors...
10/19/2026

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

For today's Throwback Thursday post, we've got some quips from the May 1887 Comet about James Safford.Page 19: Dr. Saffo...
10/15/2026

For today's Throwback Thursday post, we've got some quips from the May 1887 Comet about James Safford.

Page 19: Dr. Safford, assisted by Mr. Campbell, is the presiding genius of the Department of Natural History and Geology. Dr. Safford loves a fossil or a "specimen" with all the ardor of a boy in his first love. He fondles it, "Lifts it up tenderly, Handles with care:" Revivifies it with its former life, and clothes it with its real habiliments; grows eloquent on its fading beauties, and even quotes poetry, rare and classical.

Page 26: Dr. Jas. M. Safford is Professor of Chemistry. He has occupied this chair in three different colleges. Despite the fact that his looks would not justify the expectation, he is prone to relieve the monotony of a dry chemistry lecture by choice morsels of poetry. He is the State Geologist, a position he has held for a number of years. He is a gentleman of the old school.

Page 34: On five days of the week for four weeks of the month and six months of the year does Dr. Safford, the venerable Dean of this Department, endeavor to drive the elements of Botany and Mineralogy into their empty heads.

Turritopsis dohrnii, a jellyfish that might be able to live forever! It can reverse its life cycle in tough times. But l...
10/12/2026

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

10/08/2026

It's been about a year since the last day of our on-campus History of Evolution at Vanderbilt exhibit! -- Video sound is just me walking - so you can keep the volume off for this one!

Marina Watowich and the Lea Lab (along with international collaborators) recently published new work in PLoS Genetics.In...
10/07/2026

Marina Watowich and the Lea Lab (along with international collaborators) recently published new work in PLoS Genetics.

In our modern, industrialized world, many of us are constantly seeking to lower our ‘bad’ cholesterol because this ‘bad cholesterol’ contributes to many of top causes of death worldwide, like heart disease and stroke. Understanding the genetic underpinnings of what drives cholesterol-related health issues is a major topic of study. Further, it remains an evolutionary mystery why genes that cause disease remain prevalent.

Learn more on our home page!

Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science

Hey friends! 🐾 Ever wondered why our furry buddies are such sniffing champs? Well, it turns out dogs have a nose that's ...
10/05/2026

Hey friends! 🐾 Ever wondered why our furry buddies are such sniffing champs? Well, it turns out dogs have a nose that's just on another level! 🐕💨 While we humans have about 5–6 million olfactory receptors, your pup is rocking between 220 and 300 million! Can you even imagine? 🤯 That's like being able to smell stuff in a whole new universe!

But wait, it gets even wilder! Dogs allocate around 40 times more brain space for sniffing things out compared to us. So while we're busy scrolling through our phones, they’re literally tuning into a whole symphony of scents. 🎶🌼

So next time your doggo is going ham on a smell, just remember they're engaging in a totally different kind of vibe! It's like they’re living in a delicious, aromatic dreamscape while we're just orbiting around regular old human smells. 🥴🙌

And hey, if you ever want to impress your friends with some fun doggo trivia, now you got this one in your pocket! 🐾👌

This is from a widely repeated comparative stat that shows up consistently across veterinary and neuroscience sources (VCA Animal Hospitals, several olfaction review papers)...

September 1st, 1967, the Butler Act of TN was finally repealed. This photo features the gavel used that day to repeal th...
10/01/2026

September 1st, 1967, the Butler Act of TN was finally repealed. This photo features the gavel used that day to repeal the act.

AN ACT prohibiting the teaching of the Evolution Theory in all the Universities, and all other public schools of Tennessee, which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, and to provide penalties for the violations thereof

09/30/2026

Antonis Rokas has been named a fellow of the Mycological Society of America! Congratulations to our fearless leader!!! Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science

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