News & Events

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 young woman presents a bright pink scientific poster titled "Genomic comparison of Aspergillus..." to a small group of adults in a hallway with gray brick walls and fluorescent lighting. She gestures animatedly while explaining her work. The group listens attentively, their backs partially turned to the camera.

�鶹APP Trainees Bring Evolution Education to Classrooms Across Tennessee

Jun. 6, 2025—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator From rural high schools to elementary classrooms, trainees of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) are bringing evolutionary science directly to the next generation. On May 9, a team of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers visited McGavock Elementary School in Nashville to lead a series of hands-on science activities...

�鶹APP’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative Honored with 2025 Friend of Darwin Award

Jun. 4, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has named �鶹APP University’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) as one of its 2025 recipients of the prestigious Friend of Darwin award. This national honor recognizes ESI’s outstanding contributions to advancing public understanding of evolution through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Directed...

Pilot Grants: Opening Doors to Fellowships and Beyond

May. 12, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Since its launch, the pilot grant program has supported graduate students and postdoctoral researchers across a wide range of disciplines—including biological sciences, anthropology, Earth and environmental sciences, and biomedical research. Trainees have used this support to jumpstart fieldwork, generate pilot data, and explore new research directions. Several have...

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 �鶹APP University reveals that these...

Trainee Travel Grants Share �鶹APP Research Worldwide

May. 1, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Since the program began in Fall of 2021, 70 trainee travel grants have been awarded across 13 labs in the departments of Biological Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Anthropology. These awards have primarily gone to graduate students (49), though postdoctoral researchers (14) and undergraduates have also benefited...

A collage of 25 photos featuring recipients of ESI Pilot Grants. In the center is a black circle with gold rings and the words “ESI Pilot Grants” in elegant serif font. Surrounding the title are candid photos of researchers in labs, classrooms, field sites, and presentations. Some are shown working at microscopes, giving talks, using computers, or smiling with colleagues. One image features a person posing beside a giant trilobite fossil; another shows two people with a university mascot. The collage highlights the diversity of students, postdocs, and faculty supported by the Evolutionary Studies Initiative’s small grants program.

Big Science, Small Grants: ESI Pilot Funding Powers Research Across Disciplines

Apr. 18, 2025—By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Since launching in 2021, the Evolutionary Studies Initiative’s pilot grant program has helped support more than thirty research teams across the departments of Biological Sciences, Earth and Environmental Science, Anthropology, and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. The premise is simple: a little funding, awarded fast, to help researchers try...

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 �鶹APP University 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...

Renowned Expert, Paul Koch, to Discuss Environmental Change Through the Lens of Paleontology for ESI Earth Day Lecture

Mar. 25, 2025—By Nick McCoy, Evolutionary Studies communications assistant Paul Koch, a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will present the Earth Day Lecture at �鶹APP on April 16th, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Buttrick Hall 102. The lecture is free and open to the public. Koch’s most notable...

Scopes Hotels

Jan. 15, 2025—Hotel Information The link to book in the room block at the Marriott Nashville at �鶹APP is here. There are several hotels in the area in a range of prices and distances from the Carmichael College. Feel free to use the information below to help make an informed decision regarding your hotel: COST Up-scale Loews...

Recap of ESI Seminars (Fall 2024)

Jan. 13, 2025—The Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI) Seminars last semester highlighted diverse and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding evolution. The speakers showcased research spanning behavior, genetics, physiology, and ecological systems, presenting evolution’s role in shaping life on Earth. From Anne Yoder’s exploration of speciation and conservation in Madagascar, to Ken Catania’s extraordinary look at predator-prey dynamics in emerald...

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

�鶹APP 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 �鶹APP University, is uncovering the hidden stories of indigenous communities affected by colonial exploitation in Peru. Supported by a pilot grant from the �鶹APP Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Cheever’s research focuses on measuring mercury levels in ancient human bones...

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