Post NSF workshop

So, it was nice, very nice.

Lots of discussions in every directions, from fundamental questions about the role of robustness in evolution to the more concrete needs in terms of fundings and education. Most documents are available on the web site of ECB, and we are working on a report that will be available at the NSF website. But the big ideas included the need for more 'Experimentally Tractable Organisms' (ETOs), mapping the existing ones on the Tree of Life, and developing new ones in non-covered areas, that this new field doesn't need a new journal or new conferences, but more applications of evolutionary thinking into the existing framework. We are working on a document that will be published as a call to increase the consideration of the complementarity that exist between evolutionary biology and cell (and molecular) biology.

It is only in achieving those goals discussed at the NSF worshop that the light of evolution will eventually illuminates the available data to make sense of molecular and cellular biology, and the other way around..

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!