Sears Lab

Harness the power of evolutionary and developmental biology to explain and predict the course of mammalian evolution.

Organismal form is the product of a complex suite of interacting developmental processes. Variation in these processes allows mammals to adapt to changing environments, but also generates congenital malformations in humans. Developmental variation therefore presents a unifying concept for evolutionary biology and biomedicine, whose understanding is critical to the success of both fields. Our lab's primary research goals are to determine how developmental variation interacts with environmental factors within a species to produce congenital malformations in humans, and among species to generate new evolutionary adaptations in mammals.

Evo-devo of Form

We seek to determine the developmental processes that have been modified to produce new forms, and the degree to which the nature of these processes biases form evolution.

Sensory adaptations

We seek to identify the main biological forces in the genome, during development, and in anatomy that promote the success of species in adapting to their changing environments.

Human Health

We seek to use newly established mammalian model species as "natural mutants" to illuminate the genomic and developmental basis of human congenital malformations and teratogenesis.