@eesupdate
New research on evolutionary biology, particularly evo-devo, plasticity-led evolution, extragenetic inheritance, evolvability and niche construction. #evolution, #evodevo, #ecodevo, #philbio, #philsci, #biology https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com/
New Perspective!🔥It's fascinating how scientists from different fields but interested in the same question [e.g. genotype-phenoytpe relationship] can have such different perspectives. Here we put in our 2 cents wrt genetic effects being context-dependent, and pheno variation being mostly polygenic
🚨 Job Alert: Professorship in Evolutionary Anthropology / Primatology at University of Zurich, focused on understanding evolutionary and cultural evolutionary foundations of gender-based inequality and violence, with research in non-human primates.
jobs.uzh.ch/job-vacancie...
Evolution Evolving "has this rare quality of leaving the reader not only better informed, but also better equipped to see evolutionary problems from an entirely new vantage point."
Read Simon Oklholm's review here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
I am happy to share this article, entitled "The importance of Biological Theory". It is my inaugural editorial as the new Editor-in-Chief of @biologicaltheory.bsky.social . In these complex and challenging times, theory is more important now than ever. Enjoy!
doi.org/10.1007/s137...
➡️New issue out!⬅️
Our special issue on "The Concept of Lineage in Biology" guest edited by Javier Suárez and Matthew Haber is now out.
See everything in the December issue here: link.springer.com/journal/1375...
Stuart Newman
From Jan 1 2026, I take over as Editor-in-Chief of Biological Theory. I would like to thank my predecessor, Stuart Newman, who has done a terrific job for 10 years. That is truly extraordinary service to the community, and the journal is in a great place thanks to his efforts.
Kevin Lala
📢 Here is my commentary about the pitfalls of taking an impoverished evolutionary approach to culture, which include 'the limitations of a unidirectional model of evolution' and 'the neglect of niche construction theory'. #ehbea #evolution #psychscisky 🧪
🧵 1/2
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
“Mutations are directed but not Lamarckian”. Exciting stuff! @eesupdate.bsky.social #philbio www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A great review of my book "Evolution Evolving" by Simon Okholm in Metascience
"Evolving Evolution is no ordinary textbook, and that is part of its appeal, giving the reader a sense of cutting-edge discovery and intellectual adventure"
"Does development matter in evolution?" see shorturl.at/DxuK
Friends don’t let friends be adaptationists; if the math doesn’t math maybe it’s a spandrel. Cool story @radiolab.bsky.social about menopause, an often overlooked aspect of women’s reproductive health…
www.wnycstudios.org/story/the-me...
I'm pleased to share this new article by @svenkasser.bsky.social, Laura Fortunato @anthrolog.bsky.social, Marc Feldman and myself.
The article extends gene-culture coevolution to recognize evolutionary effects of culture arising through drift and migration.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Screenshot of the title page of a Biology & Philosophy journal article (2024, volume 39, article 22) with DOI link. The title reads “Explanatory gaps in evolutionary theory,” authored by Bendik Hellem Aaby, Gianmaria Dani, and Grant Ramsey, each with an ORCID icon.
Advocates of @eesupdate.bsky.social claim that standard evolutionary theory leaves important explanatory gaps. In a recent paper, we ask what kind—data-based, implementation-based, or framework-based—and what each might mean for the EES debate 👇📃 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPBio #evosky #HPS
🚨 New, short article by myself, Clark Barrett and @kevinlala.bsky.social on the legacy of Wilson's 'Sociobiology: The New Synthesis', which was published 50 years ago.
@science.org #ehbea #histbiol #evobio #psyscisky
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate |Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thanks to Tim Lewens for a wonderful review of our 'Evolution Evolving' book.
"In this exceptionally ambitious and impressive book, Lala and collaborators... show how an understanding of development is essential to an understanding of evolution"
Read it here: shorturl.at/mgGEm
#evolution #evodevo
In episode 458, I talk with Drs. Lesley Newson and Peter Richerson about their fascinating book, A Story of Us: A New Look at Human Evolution. #Anthropology #Science
youtu.be/RJEm7baBdTs
I'm happy to share our latest manuscript "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience", coauthored with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marcus Feldman.
Check out our recent review 'Power and Limitations of Inferring Genetic Ancestry'- what do we even mean by the term 'genetic ancestry' and what do commonly-used methods actually tell us?
Two useful new reviews on ancestry inference in population genetics:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Share of common mammalian species across continents
Ecological characteristics of species with different degrees of geodispersal.
Cool study. Shows low dispersal of mammals across continents. Most are continental scale endemics. Significant in understanding the modern structure of the Bretskyan hierarchy from mammalian perspective.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio #Macroecology
Fascinating historical review of Lala et al's "Evolution Evolving" book by @cassandrazieyang.bsky.social
See BioScience doi.org/10.1093/bios...
#evolution
I was thrilled to take part in the 43rd Altenberg workshop on Conrad Hal Waddington at the KLI! Thanks to @alejandrofabregastejeda.com and @fvergara-silva.bsky.social for being such great organizers! (pun very much intended)
The extraordinary legacy of Conrad Waddington was the focus of a terrific workshop held at the KLI last week. Superb talks, a beautiful venue, and great discussion made for a lot of fun. Thanks to all the participants, and particularly organizers Alejandro Febregas Tejeda & Francisco Vergara-Silva.
A terrific review of my recent book in this month's Biological Theory:
Enrico Petracca argues that "Evolution Evolving marks a tip-
ping point in the study of evolution".
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cover of the book Evolution Evolving.
Look what I got from my local library. I'm stoked! @kevinlala.bsky.social
A powerful new approach to interpreting population-genetic data in evolution and ecology.
Noah A. Rosenberg's Mathematical Properties of Population-Genetic Statistics is out now.
Learn more and read a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb... #MathMonday
Policarpo et al. use phylogenetic and synteny data to identify 19 teleost-to-teleost horizontal gene transfers, involving genes linked to immunity or pore formation; this suggests eukaryote-to-eukaryote HGT has shaped teleost evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf107
#evolbio #molbio #fish
New research reveals that human teeth evolved from the sensory armor of ancient fish over 460 million years ago. This discovery links our dental origins to early vertebrate exoskeletons.
🧪⚒️
#Evolution
#Paleontology
#ToothOrigins
#Fossils
#EvolutionaryBiology
Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I am please to share my latest article "A developmentalist’s view of inheritance", just published in acta ethologica.
rdcu.be/em4wW
Inheritance is a time-distributed developmental process by which diverse developmental resources become available to the next generation.
🚨PAPER ALERT Chimpanzees expand the meanings of their single calls when combining them. They use a variety of mechanisms, analogous to those found in human language, to alter the meanings of single calls in their combinations. Photo by @lirsamuni.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
📢 CES launches Advancing Cultural Evolution (ACE) Course Design Awards! 🎉 $4000 award + global impact for your cultural evolution course materials. Course must be college/grad level with 10+ hrs content.
Application link: vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... #CulturalEvolution #Education #Grants