Evolvability: The Evolution of Evolution

he idyllic surroundings of the Villa Monastero at Varenna, on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, provided the venue for a conference entitled “Evolvability: the Evolution of

Evolution,” held from April 15 to 17, 2007. This event was organized under the auspices of the Piero Caldirola International Center for the Promotion of Science and International School of Plasma Physics (ISPP), which has its headquarters at Villa Monastero.

The conference was held in collaboration with the Foundation and the Associazione EURESIS. Dr. Charles Harper, Templeton Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategist, was one of the organizers, and eight Templeton grantees were among the contributors. This event assembled a multidisciplinary group of 17 speakers making presentations and a similar number of expert participants.

The object was to discuss theories relating to evolvability in an open-minded and innovative way. Among the questions the conference set out to address were: How well do we understand gene networks? What is the role of stress in evolution? What is the significance of developmental plasticity? What is the significance of genomic stream-lining? What may evolvability tell us about attempts at directed and engineered evolution?

The conference brought together both theorists and experimentalists. Among the former, Richard Lenski, of Michigan State University, and Chris Adami, of Cal Tech, described “experiments” with an artificial life system they have developed named AVIDA. Martin Nowak, of Harvard University, described how cooperation could evolve in several well-known game theory models, a proposition that relates to the research he is currently pursuing under the grant program “Evolution and Theology of Cooperation.”

On the experimental side, Marc Kirschner, of Harvard University, opened the conference proceedings with a talk on evolutionary theory. He pointed out that this could be reduced to three separate theories: natural selection, heredity, and generation of variability. Although selection has been widely regarded as the creative force in evolution, Kirschner emphasized the role of variation as a source of evolutionary novelty. This contribution set much of the language and tone for the succeeding talks at the conference.

Overall, the theme of evolvability proved to be a useful framework for discussion of a wide range of new ideas on evolution. The general conclusion was that evolution appears not only to be creative in its outcomes, but also in its processes. “The chairmen decided not to publish any proceedings,” explains Professor Elio Sindoni, president and director of ISPP, “as the subject is still in the early stages of development.”

This event introduced a number of new leading scientists to the Foundation and may pave the way for further interaction in this rapidly growing and important field. “We believe that the interest in this subject could merit a future meeting,” concludes Sindoni.

In the words of the final report: “There is clearly a tension between these new ideas and some traditional verities of theoretical and evolutionary biologists.” It remains to be seen whether the ideas developing around evolvability will eventually become mainstream and gain wider acceptance.


Empirical Expansion in Cognitive Science and Religion Genetics and the Origin of Organismal Complexity Darwin and Religion: A Definitive Web Resource Evolvability: The Evolution of Evolution The Speakers and the Themes of their Presentations Evolution and Theology of Cooperation Linnaeus and Homo Religiosus Spirituality and Religious Ritual in the Emergence of Civilization Roots of Spirituality	he idyllic surroundings of the Villa Monastero at Varenna, on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, provided the venue for a conference entitled “Evolvability: the Evolution of Evolution,” held from April 15 to 17, 2007. This event was organized under the auspices of the Piero Caldirola International Center for the Promotion of Science and International School of Plasma Physics (ISPP), which has its headquarters at Villa Monastero. The conference was held in collaboration with the Foundation and the Associazione EURESIS. Dr. Charles Harper, Templeton Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategist, was one of the organizers, and eight Templeton grantees were among the contributors. This event assembled a multidisciplinary group of 17 speakers making presentations and a similar number of expert participants. The object was to discuss theories relating to evolvability in an open-minded and innovative way. Among the questions the conference set out to address were: How well do we understand gene networks? What is the role of stress in evolution? What is the significance of developmental plasticity? What is the significance of genomic stream-lining? What may evolvability tell us about attempts at directed and engineered evolution? The conference brought together both theorists and experimentalists. Among the former, Richard Lenski, of Michigan State University, and Chris Adami, of Cal Tech, described “experiments” with an artificial life system they have developed named AVIDA. Martin Nowak, of Harvard University, described how cooperation could evolve in several well-known game theory models, a proposition that relates to the research he is currently pursuing under the grant program “Evolution and Theology of Cooperation.” On the experimental side, Marc Kirschner, of Harvard University, opened the conference proceedings with a talk on evolutionary theory. He pointed out that this could be reduced to three separate theories: natural selection, heredity, and generation of variability. Although selection has been widely regarded as the creative force in evolution, Kirschner emphasized the role of variation as a source of evolutionary novelty. This contribution set much of the language and tone for the succeeding talks at the conference. Overall, the theme of evolvability proved to be a useful framework for discussion of a wide range of new ideas on evolution. The general conclusion was that evolution appears not only to be creative in its outcomes, but also in its processes. “The chairmen decided not to publish any proceedings,” explains Professor Elio Sindoni, president and director of ISPP, “as the subject is still in the early stages of development.” This event introduced a number of new leading scientists to the Foundation and may pave the way for further interaction in this rapidly growing and important field. “We believe that the interest in this subject could merit a future meeting,” concludes Sindoni. In the words of the final report: “There is clearly a tension between these new ideas and some traditional verities of theoretical and evolutionary biologists.” It remains to be seen whether the ideas developing around evolvability will eventually become mainstream and gain wider acceptance.