Evolution seminars

Reconstructing early hominin locomotion helps explain access to food, water, shelter and mates. This talk applies three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to functional variation in the primate postcranial skeleton. High-dimensional sliding semilandmarks, coherent point drift and weighted spherical harmonics capture external shape and internal structure, providing complementary descriptions of skeletal adaptation. Comparisons across living primates inform reconstructions of early hominin locomotor repertoires and the relationship between skeletal morphology and movement. QLS–CAMBAM hybrid seminar with Christine M. Harper (University of Washington), 2026-10-27, 12:00–13:00 Montréal time. Attend in person at 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189, McGill University, or follow the public Zoom link on the official event page. Open to the university community, including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

How can bacterial and viral pathogens rapidly evolve to become more or less harmful? Kayla King examines changes in virulence across the tree of life using evolutionary theory, genome sequencing and laboratory selection experiments. The lecture considers changes occurring within weeks in response to host immunity and warming temperatures, their consequences for pathogen genomes and host health, and what they imply for predicting virulence in a changing world. It connects the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of infection with the growing risk of zoonotic spillover into humans and protected species. Online via the Royal Society public livestream. The lecture is free to watch live on the Royal Society’s YouTube channel.

Parasites persist despite continual exposure to immune molecules and cells. African trypanosomes live in serum and tissues, while intracellular parasites such as malaria parasites display their own proteins on host cells. This seminar examines how parasites avoid detection and clearance through antigenic variation and surface proteins that suppress immune cells or their effectors. It also considers the experimental and computational approaches used to investigate these mechanisms, showing the diversity of adaptations that permit parasites to resist immunity. The presentation is intended for students and researchers interested in infection, immunity and evolution; undergraduate biology is helpful.

Gašper Tkačik explores whether the language of information in biology can become a predictive scientific theory. The lecture connects information transfer from DNA to proteins, positional signals that guide cell fate during development, neural information processing, and the storage and inheritance of information in evolving genomes. It brings physics, information theory and quantitative biology together to examine these processes across biological scales. Tkačik is Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria. Shinya Kuroda provides commentary; Arisa Ema moderates. Online via Zoom Webinar. Wednesday 14 October 2026, 14:00–15:00 JST (Asia/Tokyo; UTC+9). Public advance registration is required through the organizer’s event page. The lecture is in English with Japanese interpretation. Organized by Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study.

Nicolas Mathevon examines the evolution of vocal communication through an analysis of songs from more than 3,000 passerine species. The study organizes their acoustic diversity into eight basic motifs and relates motif use to social organization, morphology, mating systems and sound transmission. Tropical forest conditions favor simpler signals such as flat whistles that travel effectively through dense habitat. In temperate regions, dense populations, short breeding seasons and stronger sexual selection favor complex signals such as rapid trills, despite their greater degradation during transmission. The resulting global pattern reflects a changing balance between environmental constraints and selection for complex communication. Online on 30 September 2026, 17:00–18:00 CEST (Europe/Paris; UTC+2), with an optional 15-minute discussion afterward. Open worldwide through Zoom. Use the join information on the organizer's page; its optional registration form subscribes attendees to seminar updates. Organized by LINGUAE's Animal Linguistics Seminar, with Emmanuel Chemla, Lucie Ravaux and Philippe Schlenker. Online via Zoom; public joining instructions on the organizer’s seminar page.

MIT Biology Colloquium Series talk by David Bilder (University of California, Berkeley), hosted by Yukiko Yamashita, on invertebrate oncology and the ancient evolutionary origins of tumor-host interactions.

Suhrid Ghosh will present work on how cell mechanics and cytoskeletal dynamics shape the evolution of reproductive structures in Drosophila ovaries. Cross-species morphology, ex-vivo live imaging, perturbations of cortical tension, and newly isolated terminal-filament cells reveal how somatic-cell deformability can alter ovariole architecture and reproductive fitness.

Ant colonies depend heavily on chemical communication, creating demanding problems for sensory gene regulation. This lecture examines the expansion of olfactory-receptor gene families and the mechanisms that select a receptor for each neuron. Comparisons with vertebrates illuminate how stochastic gene choices support organised sensory systems.

This lecture examines the development and evolution of insect learning centres. It asks how expanded neuronal populations and cell-type diversity support the behaviour of social species such as ants. Mechanisms in insect mushroom bodies are compared with changes in the mammalian cortex.

This lecture examines genetic control of tail length using variation between deer-mouse populations and targeted experiments. It considers multiple quantitative-trait loci, the possible role of Hoxd13 expression and evidence from altered Hox13 activity. Vertebral development provides a case study of how changes in gene regulation can produce evolutionary changes in body form.

This lecture compares two approaches to the evolution of mammalian tails. It critically examines the proposed role of altered Tbxt splicing in ape tail loss, including difficulties interpreting mouse experiments. It then introduces quantitative-genetic studies of deer mice in different habitats, where several loci contribute to variation in tail length.

This lecture traces research on the mouse T locus and the Tbxt gene before examining a proposed mechanism of tail loss in apes. A repeated DNA insertion may alter splicing and protein production. The discussion asks how a small genetic change could affect development and generate a large, persistent evolutionary transformation.

Tail development provides a case study for connecting genetic change to the evolution of anatomy. This lecture introduces relevant ideas from evolutionary developmental biology and RNA splicing, then considers variation in tail presence and length across mammals. It also examines what different experimental approaches can establish about DNA, form and function.

Hans Slabbekoorn examines animal acoustic communication, from birdsong to low-frequency whale calls. Songs and other signals support courtship and conflict, while the acoustic properties of habitats shape their evolution. Expanding human noise in terrestrial and aquatic environments is changing the conditions under which these signals function. The lecture considers this acoustic environmental change and the attention needed to preserve animal communication, alongside implications for human physical and mental health.

Neil Shubin examines major evolutionary transitions as instances of existing structures acquiring new functions. Lungs preceded vertebrate life on land, and feathers preceded powered flight. Drawing on molecular biology and fossils, the lecture explores how evolutionary reuse changes explanations of biological innovation and the history of complex organisms.

Neil Shubin investigates the origins of vertebrate teeth and bone through fossils, comparative anatomy and modern imaging. Evidence from early jawless fishes places related tissues in external armour and suggests an initial sensory role for tooth-like structures. The lecture also considers the early appearance of tissue remodelling and other familiar skeletal properties.

Neil Shubin explores evidence that walking-like movements evolved in aquatic animals before vertebrates colonised land. Fossil anatomy and living fishes challenge a simple land-first explanation for limbs and joints. Underwater treadmills, behavioural experiments and robots help test why walking can be energetically useful even in water.

Neil Shubin connects human anatomy to the deep evolutionary history of animal bodies. Fossils, developmental mechanisms and comparisons with living species reveal inherited patterns in limbs, nerves, muscles and organ systems. The lecture also considers how research on fishes contributes to understanding human biology and disease.

This introductory lecture compares contemporary patterns of health with those of earlier human populations. It presents the central ideas of evolutionary medicine and uses examples to show how evolutionary explanations can contribute to understanding disease and improving health.

Cellular crosstalk is an essential process during brain development and is influenced by numerous factors, including cell morphology, adhesion, the local extracellular matrix and secreted vesicles. Inspired by mutations associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, we focus on understanding the role of extracellular mechanisms essential for the proper development of the human brain. Therefore, we combine 2D and 3D in vitro human models to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in progenitor proliferation and fate, migration and maturation of excitatory and inhibitory neurons during human brain development and tackle the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders.