Evoldir title: Montreal.(Un)PredictableEvolution.Jul26-30

Subject: Symposium on the (Un)Predictability of Evolution

Dear colleagues,

We are happy to announce the symposium "Empirical and Conceptual Insights
on the (Un)Predictability of Evolution" at this year's 3rd Joint Congress
on Evolutionary Biology in Montreal on 26-30 July. Submission of talks
for the symposium is open to anyone attending the conference. You can
register here: https://www.evolutionmeetings.org/registration.html.

The goal of this symposium is to bring together empirical, theoretical,
conceptual and philosophical insights on the predictability of
evolution. With a long tradition in evolutionary biology, the
"predictability topic" has recently gained greatly renewed interest,
with growing attention also in other (sub-)fields such as ecology,
speciation, and genomics. This is in part due to the advent of powerful
recent technologies (for example, investigations involving aDNA or in
silico and synthetic experimental approaches), several long-term field
studies and experiments, controlled evolve-resequence experiments,
as well as drastic real-life experiences for many of us in form of the
COVID-19 pandemic. It therefore also seems of particular importance to
re-consider and clarify the conceptual framework of predictability in
science in general, and in evolutionary research specifically.

We hope this symposium will bring together broad and diverse empirical,
theoretical and conceptual perspectives on the types, function and
value of predictions in evolutionary research, the aspects that limit
or facilitate predictability, as well as examples demonstrating the
relevance of predictions in our research. If your work is relevant to any
of these or related questions, please consider submitting an abstract
to our symposium! For some more information, the symposium abstract is
attached below.

In case of questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Lead Organizers:
Marius Roesti (marius.roesti-AT-unibe.ch) and Brian Langerhans
(langerhans-AT-ncsu.edu)

Additional Organizers:
Andrew Hendry and Jonathan Losos

Symposium abstract:

The ability to make accurate predictions is often taken as a hallmark of
strong scientific understanding. How good are we in making predictions
about evolution and how can we actually test these predictions? What
do we want to predict and how do we generate predictions? What limits
our predictability and are these limits inherent or surmountable? And
what might we gain by accurately predicting evolution? Our symposium
will foster crosstalk among researchers with different perspectives
on and approaches to these questions. We are excited to welcome
innovative empirical (e.g., large-scale/long-term experimental or
novel comparative), theoretical (e.g., synthetic, mathematical), and
philosophical contributions, as well as historical perspectives on the
(un)predictability of evolution. We further encourage submissions
addressing predictability of evolutionary change across all levels
of biological organization (e.g., genomic, cellular, morphological,
behavioral, ecological communities).

"marius.roesti@unibe.ch" <marius.roesti@unibe.ch>

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