A founder of the field of evolutionary medicine, now encouraging psychiatry to find its missing foundation in evolutionary biology.
Joined March 2009
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306 Photos and videos
Apr 7
In preparing my keynote address for this week's NIH NIDDK meeting, I am inspired by Robert Chevalier's articles on evolutionary nephrology. I look forward to talking with attendees about how evolutionary medicine can advance research. @isemph @NIDDKgov
scholar.google.com/citations…
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Feb 24
On my way to Atlanta to give a @EmoryUniversity Grand Rounds on Evolutionary Psychiatry and see old friends including Peter Ash and Mel Konner. It will be so satisfying to talk with people IRL about their research and practice and what an evolutionary framework offers and how hard it is to do it right.
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Feb 16
This Prize helps to let everyone know about the best work in evolutionary medicine. Nomination takes only a minute. The chances of winning are greater than for any other prize of this size. isemph.org/Omenn-Prize
@TriCEM_NC @evmedasu @UmEhap @eseb_org @sse_evolution
Nominate an article on evolution and medicine for the Omenn Prize of $5000 and a trip to the annual meeting of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. Self-nominations are welcome. Details at isemph.org/Omenn-Prize
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Only 3 more days to get a 20% discount on ISEMPH membership! Use code "EB2026" at checkout. Membership pays for itself if you come to even one meeting in 3 years. Register for the July meeting also, refund is easy if you can't make it after all. isemph.org/
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Jan 26
A new post on the role of positive feedback in disease may be of interest.
open.substack.com/pub/randyn…
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Jan 25
Viewing depression as a consistent condition with specific causes & functions is an understandable but serious mistake. The various aspects of low mood evolved to cope with the adaptive challenges in diverse related situations, and the control systems can fail for many reasons.
Jan 23
Mood disorders such as depression, involve the problem of dimensionality —complex interactions of biology, conditioned life experience, environment.
It’s a shifting landscape of baselines and responses…
I’ve found the work or @RandyNesse helpful in exploring this
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Jan 6
The genotype-to-phenotype path is a maze in a tangled bank open.substack.com/pub/randyn…
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26 Nov 2025
Turns out all the Friend of Darwin award winners this year are experts in evolutionary medicine! I will be curious to hear what we all have to say at the Dec 4 event at 6 pm ET. @isemph @UmEhap @TriCEM_NC @NCSE @evmedasu
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…
13 Nov 2025
Join us virtually on 12/4 at 6 ET as we celebrate our 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet recipients. Register in advance for a link - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi… #celebratescience #ncse
ALT Flyer image. The text reads: 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet Awards. December 4 at 6:00 ET. Register for this virtual event to receive a link. 6 images featuring this year's recepients: Katie Hinde, a group photo of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse, John Toohey-Morales, a group photo of the CLEO Institute, and Kim Cobb.
ALT The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of Darwin. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: Katie Hinde, Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, Randolph M. Nesse. Images: Headshot of Katie Hinde, group photo of Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt, headshot of Randolph M. Nesse.
ALT The text reads: NCSE's 2025 Friends of the Planet. Join us virtually 12/4 at 6 ET. Recipients: John Toohey-Morales, The CLEO Institute, Kim Cobb. Images: Headshot of John Toohey-Morales, group photo of the CLEO Institute, headshot of Kim Cobb.
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20 Nov 2025
The ClubEvMed on Dec 2 at Noon ET on this new book will be interesting! Laurence Hurst will kick it off, David Haig will comment, and I will MC a lively discussion. @isemph @UmEhap @TriCEM_NC @evmedasu @evmed_ch @Pitt_CEBaM
Register now!
duke.zoom.us/meeting/registe…
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20 Nov 2025
The 11th annual meeting of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health will be in Kiel Germany! Reserve the dates!
isemph.org
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14 Oct 2025
Viewing Diseases As Adaptations: An error as serious as it is common
open.substack.com/pub/randyn…
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15 Sep 2025
Why can't we find specific genes and brain abnormalities that cause mood disorders? It is because, like heart and renal failure, mood disorders are failure modes of control systems that can have diverse causes.
@AllenFrancesMD @isemph @RiadhAbed1
open.substack.com/pub/randyn…
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14 Sep 2025
I will give 2 talks on evolutionary psychiatry in Tokyo on Sept 24 mentalhealth-unit.jp/plugin/…
and 1 in Kyoto on the 25th.
ashbi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/event… I look forward to meeting Japanese colleagues and to learning how our field is developting there. @ISEMPH @HumBehEvoSoc @LEBS_official
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9 Sep 2025
I think X did not share this widely because I included a link. If you are interested in genetics or epistasis, the full article is on Nessays.
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7 Sep 2025
I created illustrations to make the concept of epistasis clear to everyone. With formulas! I hope they help!
A new Substack essay at Nessays.com
@isemph @UmEhap @TriCEM_NC @evmedasu @evmed_ch @vscooper open.substack.com/pub/randyn…
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