EvolDir

Welcome to the EvolDir
"Evolution Directory"

POPULAR PRESS HEADLINES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

'Life-changing' gene therapy for children born blind

Four toddlers born with a rare eye condition have seen "life-changing improvements", say UK doctors.

From the BBC News-2025-2-21:8:5:1

As biodiversity declines, researchers race to name millions of species unknown to science

In 2023, scientists discovered thousands of unknown life forms in the Pacific Ocean. The discovery highlighted an unsettling fact: 86 per cent of land species and 91 per cent of marine species remain undiscovered. Are we running out of time to classify the life around us?

From the CBC News-2025-2-20:14:6:1

'Future generations need cure' for brain disorder

Scientists hope to find a cure for a genetic condition linked back to a single Cumbrian family line.

From the BBC News-2025-2-11:8:5:1

More Headlines ...

The EvolDir is directed toward evolutionary biologists, population biologists and scientists in related areas.

Reminder: the preferred use of EvolDir is for bulletins not discussions.

Primate Adaptation and Evolution, by John G. Fleagle, Andrea L. Baden, Christopher C. Gilbert, from Academic Press. (Feb 15).

Special Issue in Heredity. We invite submissions for a Special Issue. in Heredity titled: “Functional and Adaptive Effects of Genomic Structural Variation.” (Feb 4).

The Network of Life, A New View of Evolution, David P. Mindell, from Princeton University Press. (Feb 1).

Biology Letters Early Career Researcher competition opened for entries with a deadline of 30 April 2025 - further details can be found here. (Jan 27).

The Trouble with Ancient DNA: Telling Stories of the Past with Genomic Science, by Anna Kallen, from the University of Chicago Press. (Jan 25).

Artificial Intelligence and Human Evolution Contextualizing AI in Human History, by Ameet Joshi, from Apress Berkeley. (Jan 18).

Please ensure that the EvolDir is 'whitelisted' with your email service providers. Repeated bounces stating that your email is blocked will result in the removal of your email from the EvolDir. You can check the website to ensure that you are receiving all emails.

Other notices of general interest can go here (including notices that may be commercial).

SELECTED JOURNAL TOC's

Files added in the last three days:

Science_387:6736_FriFeb21.html                    169210 bytes     Feb 21 07:07
Nature_WedFeb19.html                              340204 bytes     Feb 19 14:36
PNAS_122_7_TueFeb18.html                          482741 bytes     Feb 18 16:01

More Journal TOC's ...

SELECTED FORTHCOMING ARTICLES

Articles added in the last three days:

Feb 21 09:19	A tale of too many trees: a conundrum for phylogenetic regression, by Richard Adams et al. (MBE)
Feb 21 09:19	Genetic mechanisms and adaptive benefits of anthocyanin-red stigmas in a wind-pollinated tree, by Wei-Hao Wang et al. (MBE)
Feb 21 09:19	Subcellular enrichment patterns of new genes in Drosophila evolution, by Chuan Dong et al. (MBE)
Feb 21 09:19	Selection increases mitonuclear DNA discordance but reconciles incompatibility in African cattle, by Xian Shi et al. (MBE)
Feb 21 09:19	Insufficient evidence for a severe bottleneck in humans during the Early to Middle Pleistocene transition, by Trevor Cousins et al. (MBE)
Feb 21 09:19	Every gain comes with loss: Ecological and physiological shifts associated with polyploidization in a pygmy frog, by Qiheng Chen et al. (MBE)
Feb 19 12:00	Simple genetic mechanisms toward more intricate molecular complexes - Angel F. , et al. (PNAS)
Feb 19 12:00	Gene duplication captures morph-specific promoter usage in the evolution of aphid wing dimorphisms - Omid Saleh , et al. (PNAS)
Feb 19 12:00	The modern pattern of insect herbivory predates the advent of angiosperms by 60 My - Lifang Xiao, et al. (PNAS)

More Forthcoming ...

The most recent EvolDir posting is shown here ...

**Workshop in phylogenetic comparative methods for early career biomechanists**

OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOP Do you study biomechanics, locomotion, or functional
performance? Are you a primarily experimental biologist who would like to
expand your work to multiple species? Have you heard about phylogenetic
comparative methods but are unsure how they might apply to your research
field? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," you may be
interested in an upcoming summer workshop on phylogenetic comparative
biology.

The Moen lab in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal
Biology at the University of California, Riverside, will hold a
summer workshop on phylogenetic comparative methods in evolutionary
biomechanics. This workshop is part of an NSF CAREER grant focusing
on the evolution of locomotor mechanics. Phylogenetic methods for
analyzing trait evolution will be covered, particularly those methods
most directly related to the evolution of biomechanical systems. A key
goal of the workshop is to expose early career researchers with more
experimental, single-species experience to methods and perspectives
helpful in studying the evolution of their study system by analyzing
data from multiple species.

No previous experience with these methods is required. Most expenses for
attending the workshop will be covered. As a consequence, participation
is limited to a maximum of 16 participants. We expect applications to
be competitive.

ELIGIBILITY Participants should be mid-level to advanced Ph.D. students
or post-docs at any stage. We will also consider early-career faculty
members if the fit of their research goals highly overlaps with the
workshop material. Strong applicants will have experience in one or
more of the following research areas: biomechanics, locomotion, muscle
physiology, and functional morphology and performance. Prior work in R
will be especially helpful, though less-experienced participants will
be provided materials to learn more prior to the workshop. Because
learning will be facilitated by having your own data to analyze, we are
particularly looking for applicants who have an interspecific dataset
they can analyze or those who plan to soon collect such a dataset. More
generally, we seek highly motivated applicants with a desire to expand
their research into studies of phylogenetic comparative biology.

WORKSHOP AND APPLICATION DETAILS Workshop format: Most days will include
lectures on the theory of methods, followed by hands-on exercises
with R tutorials. We may also discuss key research papers, which will
be provided to participants in advance. The workshop will finish with
participants analyzing their own datasets, using the methods they have
learned. Participants without their own dataset will be provided with one.

Workshop dates: The workshop will take place at the UC Blue Oak Ranch
Reserve, near San Jose, CA, from 13-18 July. Most participants will be
expected to arrive to the San Jose, CA, airport prior to the workshop,
either late Saturday (12 July) or early Sunday (13 July). We will
pick up participants from San Jose on Saturday, 19 July, and head
to the reserve. Those from southern California may alternatively
make arrangements to arrive at UC Riverside and ride with us to the
workshop. And those from northern California or Nevada could drive
directly to the workshop. Within reason, travel arrangements may be
flexible.

Details of financial support: All participants will be eligible for
reimbursement of up to $500 in travel expenses to San Jose. Additional
travel support may be available given need. Travel to and from the field
station will be provided by us. Lodging and meals the night of arrival
and during the workshop will be fully reimbursed.

Application deadline: Review of applications will begin on 15 April
2025, though we will still consider applications until we have filled
all available seats in the workshop.

Applications must include: (1) A cover letter answering the following
questions: (a) Why do you want to participate and what do you hope
to learn?  (b) In which part of your current or future research do
you envision
    yourself using phylogenetic comparative methods?
(c) Do you have or plan to collect an interspecific dataset you could
    analyze as part of the workshop?
(d) What is your previous experience with data analysis in R? With
    phylogenetic comparative methods in particular?
(e) Do you anticipate needing additional travel support beyond the $500
    for travel to San Jose? If so, what alternative sources of financial
    support are you seeking (e.g., other travel grants)?
(f) What is the contact information for your recommendation letter
    writer (email and phone, if possible)?
(2) A full CV (3) One recommendation letter from a research advisor or
supervisor. The
    letter should address your motivation for applying and how the
    methods would fit in the context of your current research and plans.
    No letters are required for faculty applicants.

Please submit the cover letter and CV as a single PDF in a single email to
Monique Simon (moniquen@ucr.edu) and Daniel Moen (dmoen@ucr.edu). Please
use the subject line "PCM workshop application: <Your name>" and name
your file the same as the subject line. Recommendation-letter writers
should send their letters to the same two email addresses with a similar
subject line. These letters are due on the same date as applications.

If you have any questions about the workshop or application process,
you can email Monique before applying.

Daniel Moen <dmoen@ucr.edu>

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Conferences	Graduate positions
Jobs	Other	Archive
Postdocs	Workshops/Courses	Answers

last.day               13 KB        Feb 21 08:54
last.day-1             28 KB        Feb 20 08:24
last.day-2             11 KB        Feb 19 10:19
Mnth_Review.pdf       591 KB        Feb  1 00:25
Mnth_Review-1.pdf     546 KB        Jan  1 00:25
Mnth_Review-2.pdf     659 KB        Dec  1 00:25

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Welcome to the EvolDir
"Evolution Directory"