News: Evolution & Genomics

Six-Part Documentary Series "HUMAN FOOTPRINT" Hosted by Shane Campbell-Staton.
June 14, 2023

Don't miss "HUMAN FOOTPRINT," hosted by Shane Campbell-Staton.

In this captivating series blending science and travel, viewers are taken on a journey from cutting-edge laboratories to bustling street markets, from farms to renowned restaurants, and from ancient forests to the hidden corners of New York. The aim is to explore how…

PBS Special, "Messing with Mother Nature," Featuring Bridgett vonHoldt
May 17, 2023

Don't miss the PBS special, "Messing with Mother Nature," featuring Bridgett vonHoldt. Tune in as she sheds light on the intriguing world of coyotes and wolves in Galveston, Texas, named "ghost wolves." These animals carry significant amounts of red wolf DNA, a potential lifeline for the population's survival.

Ecologist Sarah Kocher Wins an Inaugural Freeman Hrabowski Award from Howard Hughes Medical Institute
May 16, 2023

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced that ecologist Sarah Kocher has been named one of the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars. Freeman Hrabowski Scholars are outstanding early career faculty in science who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields and to create diverse and…

Peter and Rosemary Grant receive Royal Medal in Biology
Sept. 20, 2017

The Grants’ legendary explorations of the group of 18 bird species known as Darwin’s finches that populate the Galápagos island of Daphne Major — which is in an entirely natural state unaffected by humans — over four decades have produced an array of dazzling insights into evolutionary theory.

Hyper-social behavior in dogs and humans
July 19, 2017

Researchers identify a common underlying genetic basis for social behavior in dogs and humans. Co-lead authors Bridgett vonHoldt, assistant professor in EEB, and Emily Shuldiner, a 2016 Princeton alumna, worked together to pinpoint the commonalities in the genetic architecture of Williams-Beuren syndrome and canine tameness.

Dean for Research Innovation Funds awarded to highly exploratory projects
March 22, 2017

A number of innovative research projects ranging from the sciences to the arts and engineering have been granted funding through Princeton’s Office of the Dean for Research.

Each year, the Dean for Research Innovation Fund gives support for exploratory…

In African ‘fairy circles,’ a template for nature’s many patterns
Jan. 19, 2017

Be it the Mima mounds of Washington state or the famous “fairy circles” of Namibia in southwestern Africa, people are captivated by the regular patterns of plant growth that blanket desert and grassland landscapes, often with mesmerizing consistency.

Scientists have long debated how these phenomena originate and persist. Now, a new…

Gene behind ‘evolution in action’ in Darwin’s finches identified
April 21, 2016

Scientists from Princeton University and Uppsala University in Sweden have identified a specific gene that within a year helped spur a permanent physical change in a finch species in response to a drought-induced food shortage. The findings provide a genetic basis for natural selection that, when combined with observational data, could serve as…