NSF Evolutionary Cell Biology workshop

Going to this NSF-sponsored workshop on the new field of Evolutionary Cell Biology at the end of the month. The stated goal is to identify and address the major gaps in knowledge about the evolution of cell biological systems. This also includes a focus on education and new infrastructures, fundings, ... needed for the new field. Sounds fascinating. The participant list is as fascinating, from well-established 'old dogs' to younger ones, including some well known faces, most of them we have already seen at the EvolCell2012 NCBS meeting, last year in India.

A few of the questions that will be debated includes the roles of physical constraints in convergent evolution, the issue of the mutational cost of increased complexity in the evolution of cellular features, the rise of cell biological structures novelty, amongst other. We will attempt to identify the needs to move the field forward, eg what would it take to create a hypothesis-driven evolutionary cell biology? But also what new toolds, technologies and infrastructures are needed to advance this new field. Education will also be addressed as we will attempt to identify what the changes that are needed at all levels of education to push evolutionary cell biology forward.

An impressive program has been sent to all participants. Interesting discussions to be expected but looking forward to be there. Will keep you posted!

First PVC meeting

Hip hip hourra!!

That is it, we obtained a grant from the EMBO workshop and course program to organize the first meeting entirely dedicated to the PVCs. This event will be entitled: "EMBO workshop on Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydiae superphylum: exceptions to the bacterial definition?"  It will be organized by DP Devos (COS, Heidelberg Uni., Germany) with the help of co-organizers C Jogler (Harvard, Massachusetts, USA) and JA Fuerst (Brisbane Uni., Australia) and will be held in Heidelberg, Germany from the 28th of Feb. to the 2nd of March 2013. It will be the first time that scientists working on so different organisms will assemble together in the same room. Fascinating keynote talks have been secured and both tenants of the controversy about PVC phylogenetic link to eukaryotes will be invited. This promise to be a very exciting meeting. More details will come soon, but I want to share this excellent news with you. So mark you calendar for the 28th of Feb. 2013.

Please send me an email if you are interested, intend to come or just are thinking about it at microplatypus@gmail.com. Thanks.