In their most recent paper published in Systematic Biology, Phillip Mitteroecker, Michael L. Collyer and Dean C. Adams introduce a new system to measure phylogenetic signal in multivariate phenotypes. Phylogenetic signal is the tendency of closely related species to resemble each other more than distant ones. The authors approach a long-standing challenge in the statistical estimation of phylogenetic signal in mutivariate phenotypes, as phylogenetic signal until now have been mostly designed for univariate traits. However, biological traits are often multivariate, and univariate measures are therefore inadequate, and not meaningful on their own. The authors propose a novel method where the multivariate data is decomposed into linear combinations with the most or least phylogenetic signal, which is measured by Blomberg’s K. These components, called K-components, can be interpreted biologically, and scatterplots can show the data in a way that preserves phylogenetic signal. (Click on title to continue.)

What lies behind the making of a scientific paper that challenges the very foundations of a field? In a candid interview with Hari Sridhar, Kevin Lala tells the back story of one such paper "The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions" published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in 2015, and reflects on the paper's influence today, nearly 10 years after it was published. Read this interview on the Reflections on Papers Past website, which is a treasure trove of fantastic conversations with authors of well-known and influential papers in the field of Ecology and Evolution. (Click on title to continue.)

Read the editors’ summary of the latest issue, with free reading links for all the articles in 19(2). The issue includes two articles that each discusses the implications for evolutionary theory of the ideas of an iconic philosopher, a critical evaluation of recent writings on agency, and an essay on a classic paper of T. C. Schneirla’s on behavior with a first-ever English translation of a live debate following its presentation.

Isabella Sarto-Jackson was invited by the Das Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung (The Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) to participate in “Science Talks” an event that promotes dialogue between researchers and interested public and stakeholders. (Click on title to read on.)

Isabella was invited to speak on national radio, ORF, yesterday, on the show Punkt Eins mit Barbara Zeithammer. The theme was, "How we optimally support children: Elementary education, brain development, research and the challenges of our present" (click on title to read on.)

In this new paper, Elis Jones argues that scientific activity is literally niche construction. Using data from interviews conducted with coral scientists, Elis examines the socio-ecological dimensions of science, especially how science shapes and is shaped by the living world around it. (Click on title to read paper summary.)

The 41st Altenberg Workshop in Theoretical Biology, with the theme Sociocultural EvoDevo: Cultural Neurobiological Inheritance Systems (CNIS) was held at the KLI, Klosterneuburg Austria, from 18-21 June 2024. This workshop was organised by Isabella Sarto-Jackson (KLI) and Daniel O. Larson (California State University). It brought together world-renowned scholars from multiple fields including neurobiology, anthropology, evolutionary developmental biology, social psychology and human development.

KLI Fellow Enrico Petracca contributed a chapter in a book project dedicated to famous economist and cognitive scientist of the 20th century, Herbert H. Simon. Edited by Gerd Gigerenzer, (the late) Shabnam Mousavi , and Riccardo Viale, the book ‘Elgar Companion to Herbert Simon’ is now out, and with Enrico’s contributed chapter titled, ‘A double-edged metaphor: Simon and the scissors of bounded rationality’. (Click on title to read on.)

We are very happy to welcome Nora Hein to the KLI! Nora is a student in the master's program Organic Agricultural Systems and Agroecology at BOKU University in Vienna, where she had previously obtained a master's degree in Environment and Bio-Resources Management. At the KLI, Nora is working as a research assistant in the EU project PLUS Change, which uses a transdisciplinary perspective to investigate land use strategies and decision-making processes to address social, climate, and biodiversity objectives.

Ievgeniia IVANOVA (University of Stirling, UK), 2024-06-13 15:00 (CET). To join our colloquium please register with Zoom

We heartily welcome our new Visiting Fellow Ievgeniia Ivanova who will be with us till 28th June. Ievgeniia is a Visiting fellow at the University of Stirling, UK (2023-2024), and was an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, UK (2022-2023). From 2012 to 2022 she held positions of senior lecturer and associate professor at the Odesa National Polytechnic University (Ukraine), National Medical University (Ukraine), and National University "Odesa Maritime Academy" (Ukraine). Ievgeniia’s research interests cover interdisciplinary areas such as philosophy and methodology of knowledge, epistemology, and philosophy of science using a systems approach to research complex intellectual, value, and social objects. During her stay here at the KLI, Ievgeniia will also give a colloquium talk titled, "Parametric General Systems Theory and How to Apply It".

We are very happy to have Juno Salazar Parreñas with us at the KLI. Juno is an Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies and Feminist Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University (USA). She is the author of Decolonizing Extinction: The Work of Care in Orangutan Rehabilitation, which received the 2019 Michelle Rosaldo Book Prize from the Association of Feminist Anthropology. During her stay at the KLI Juno will also be giving a KLI Colloquium talk titled "Co(w)-Evolution: Dairying from the Holocene to the Anthropocene in German Speaking Europe" on June 6th. (Click on title to continue.)

Juno SALAZAR PARRENAS (Cornell University, NY), 2024-06-06 15:00 (CET). To join our colloquium please register with Zoom

KLI fellow Anne Le Maître, along with colleagues from the Société d'Anthropologie de Paris coordinated a special issue of the Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris (BMSAP) on the topic, "Invasive, micro-invasive and non-invasive analysis of anthropobiological remains. How and why?” This special issue comprises several articles stemming from the presentations given during the 2023 annual meeting of the Société d'Anthropologie de Paris. (Click on title to continue)

KLI is hiring a Group Leader in Philosophy of Biology or Theoretical Biology

This book review forum, published in the journal Landscape Research is compiled by Laura Menatti (book review editor) alongwith Emma Waterson (Editor-in-Chief), with reviews contributed by Rosie 'Anolani Alegado (kanaka 'oiwi), tebrakunna country, Emma Lee, Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, Tim Waterman and the book’s author Max Liboiron.

This is a Satellite Symposium that takes place ahead of the FENS Forum 2024 and ventures into the intersection between neuroscience and philosophy. Date: 24 June 2024, Time: 3.00–7.00 pm, Venue: Sky Lounge, University of Vienna, Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090 Vienna. The sessions are chaired by: Igor Branchi, Isabella Sarto-Jackson, Markus Kunze, Thomas Bugnyar, Jan-Pieter Konsman, Fátima Sofia Ávila-Cascajares. Due to space limitation, please register for this event! (Click on title for details)

Summer heralds conferences and workshops, and our KLI Fellows will be participating in many of them around the world. Let’s take a look at who’s is presenting what and where this summer! (watch this space for more as the list progresses…)

Corey BUNCE (KLI), 2024-05-23 15:00 (CET). To join our colloquium please register with Zoom

Ettore Majorana International School announces workshop RECENTERING NEUROSCIENCE ON BEHAVIOR: A BRAIN-BODY-ENVIRONMENT INTEGRATED APPROACH. The school has a new format with neuroscientists and philosophers teaching alongside. The list of speakers include our own Isabella Sarto-Jackson and Alejandro. F. Tajeda! Organizers: Igor Branchi & Francesca Cirulli (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma) [Click on title for details]