CFP: History & Philosophy of Reticulate Evolution (LGT, symbiogenesis, hybridization, virology) for the International Symbiosis Society Meeting

Thematic Session on Reticulate Evolution Before and After the Modern Synthesis:

Historical and Epistemological Perspectives and Wider Applications Beyond Traditional Fields

Organized by Nathalie Gontier & Jan Sapp

University of Lisbon, 12 - 18th of July, 2015

Website http://iss-symbiosis.org/Symposia

Contact [email protected]

INVITED SPEAKERS

Eric Bapteste, Vitor G. Faria, Ricardo Guerrero, Frank Kressing, Caetano Souto-Maior, Élio Sucena, and Laura Weyrich

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

We welcome Senior and Junior Researchers to submit poster or regular talks (20 minutes) on themes and topics including:

1 History and/or philosophy of symbiosis, symbiogenesis, lateral gene transfer, virology

Origin of key discoveries (including bacteria and bacterial communities, mitochondria, chloroplasts, plasmids, biofilms), key terminology (holobionts, symbionts, symbiomes, superorganism, parasitism, mutualism, commensalism, hybridization). Or exemplification with case studies on the context of discovery of the dual nature of lichens, bacterial transformation, transduction, conjugation, jumping genes, bacteriophages, RNA and DNA viruses,...

2 Biographical sketches of pioneering scholars and the origin of pioneering research groups

Origins of the International Symbiosis Society, the foundation of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Symposia Series, the Koch's Institute, Pasteur Institute, Russian Institutes, the Phage Group, Microbiology societies  ...

3 Reticulate Evolution in light of the Modern and Extended Synthesis

How does reticulate evolution facilitate adaptation, fitness, reproduction, speciation; How does reticulate evolution define new units and levels of evolution; Can reticulate evolution be included into a revised Neo-Darwinian Synthesis or does it imply a rupture with the standard evolutionary paradigm; How do lateral gene transfer, symbiosis, symbiogenesis and hybridization together with natural selection bring forth evolution, ...

4 Taxonomy and the origin of life

How does reticulate evolution impact species taxomomy, and redraw the tree of life.

(16S rRNA gene sequences, molecular phylogenies, trees and networks, …)

5 How does reticulate evolution impact the humanities, sociocultural and linguistic sciences (both historically and currently)?

Jargon associated with reticulate evolution is increasingly used to designate micro-communities, language borrowing, culture contact. What is the role of metaphors, how do tools and modeling techniques cross-hybridize distinct disciplines, what is the relevance of reticulate evolution for understanding humans and hominid evolution?

6 How does reticulate evolution relate to the biomedical sciences (medicine, immunology, epidemiology of disease, eg current case studies on microbiomes and viriomes, vaccination therapy, genetic engineering)? And what are the ethical issues?

7 How does reticulate evolution impact agriculture, bio-conservation ethics, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, exobiology, …

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

If you would like to participate in the session, then submit your talk or poster abstract before April 1st, 2015 at

http://iss-symbiosis.org/page-1805892

Be sure to select the specific thematic session: "Reticulate Evolution Before and After the Modern Synthesis"

REGISTRATION 

You can register for the specific symposium or the full conference, and please note that becoming a member reduces the registration fee. ISS will also provide a limited amount of travel awards. Registration procedures are detailed by the International Symbiosis Society at  http://iss-symbiosis.org/.