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

Beyond Mendel: a call to revisit the genotype–phenotype map through new experimental paradigms

Abstract. The long-standing notion that genotypes map to phenotypes through simple one gene–one trait relationships continues to shape both research in the

academic.oup.com

🚨 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...

UZH: Professorship for Evolutionary Anthropology and Primatology

We are seeking candidates in the field of Comparative Evolutionary Anthropology and Primatology for the Irene Staehelin Endowed Professorship at the University of Zurich. This position focuses on the ...

jobs.uzh.ch

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...

The Importance of Biological Theory - Biological Theory

Biological Theory -

doi.org

➡️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...

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...

The pitfalls of an impoverished approach to culture: Commentary on Baumard and André

sciencedirect.com

“Mutations are directed but not Lamarckian”. Exciting stuff! @eesupdate.bsky.social #philbio www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

De novo rates of a Trypanosoma-resistant mutation in two human populations | PNAS

Mutation rates have long been measured as averages across many genomic positions. Recently, a method to measure the rates of individual mutations w...

pnas.org

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...

The Menopause Mystery

What do orcas, chimps, and humans have in common? A puzzling pause.

wnycstudios.org

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/...

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/...

Revisiting the human sociobiology debate

What have we learned 50 years on?

science.org

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

Development developing - Biology & Philosophy

Lala et al.’s (2024) Evolution Evolving is an excellent book. It offers a compelling case for the relevance of development to the study of evolution. It takes a pluralistic stance on the forms of unde...

shorturl.at

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

#458 Lesley Newson & Peter Richerson - A Story of Us: A New Look at Human Evolution

YouTube video by The Dissenter

youtu.be

I'm happy to share our latest manuscript "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience", coauthored with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marcus Feldman.

Dr Sarah Myers@drsarahmyers.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to see 1st of the Evoluionary Human Sciences special issue on scientific racism come out! @kevinlala.bsky.social @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marcus Feldman discuss impediments to countering racist pseudoscience & present 5 solutions www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

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?

Annals of Human Genetics@ahgeditor.bsky.social · last yr.

An Early View: Dr @nancybird1.bsky.social , Prof @turiking.bsky.social, & Prof Hellenthal examine the methodological advances and interpretive limits of genetic ancestry inference. The authors emphasize the need for a stronger focus on conveying uncertainty to mitigate risks of over-interpretation.

Two useful new reviews on ancestry inference in population genetics: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

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

The causal role of constructive development in evolution

doi.org

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...

Evolution at a Tipping Point - Biological Theory

This is a review essay on Evolution Evolving, by Kevin Lala, Tobias Uller, Nathalie Feiner, Marcus Feldman, and Scott Gilbert. The review suggests that the book marks a tipping point in the debate ove...

link.springer.com

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

Multiple Horizontal Transfers of Immune Genes Between Distantly Related Teleost Fishes

Abstract. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is less frequent in eukaryotes than in prokaryotes, yet can have strong functional implications and was proposed a

doi.org

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...

Our teeth evolved from fish 'body armor' over 460 million years, scientists discover

Teeth are sensitive because they evolved from sensory tissue in both ancient vertebrates and ancient arthropods.

livescience.com

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