La théorie de la sélection naturelle présentée par Darwin et Wallace

En cette année Darwin (cent cinquantenaire de la parution de L’Origine des espèces, 1859), les écrits présentés ici, datant d’une année auparavant, aident à comprendre la vision en gestation de Darwin. La théorie de la sélection naturelle y est présentée, notamment à partir des fameux « pinsons de Darwin » ; la comparaison avec l’évolution en géologie est esquissée. Bien qu'ayant proposé une théorie solide de l'origine et de la diversité des espèces, Darwin a posé à ses successeurs quantité de nouvelles questions. Comment mesurer les effets de la sélection, notamment comment changent-ils au cours du temps ainsi qu'en fonction de la taille de la population ? Quels sont les liens entre l'impact des variations (les mutations) et leur taux d'occurrence ? Comment la sélection opère-t-elle à chaque niveau d'organisation d'un système dit « complexe » ? Le XXIe siècle arrivant avec son lot d'innovations technologiques permettra sûrement d'aller encore un peu plus loin dans notre compréhension de ces phénomènes, en suivant la voie ouverte autour de Darwin.In the year marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species (1859), the texts presented here, dating from the previous year, help us to understand Darwin’s burgeoning vision. The theory of natural selection is presented in these texts, notably via the famous “Darwin’s finches”, while the comparison with geological evolution is sketched out. Though he proposed a sound theory for the origin and diversity of species, Darwin left his successors with countless new questions. How can the effects of selection be measured, namely how do they change over time as well as in relation to population size ? What are the links between the impact of variations (mutations) and their occurrence ratio ? How does selection operate at each level of the organisation of a “complex” system ? The 21st century, with its array of technological innovations, will no doubt enable scientists to advance our understanding of these phenomena a little further, following the path opened up around Darwin

Twenty Tips for High-School Students Engaging in Research with Scientists

Ten high-school students from Catalunya and two neuroscientists from the Netherlandsstarted a research collaboration in 2012 investigating how colors may influence learningabilities. This research question was defined and developed solely by the students, withresearchers joining the project later through the guidance of a facilitator and a teacher. Thisrather radical approach to “citizen-science” involved research collaborations on citizen-generatedquestions and was extremely rewarding for both parties involved. It providedskills, empowered participants, and enhanced the social relevance of science while allowinginteractions that might have never happened otherwise. But the process was alsochallenging,which motivated the team of 10 students to propose “Twenty Tips” for otherstudents interested in embarking on a similar journey. In the spirit of all research within thisproject, this article was a collaborative effort between the participants and thus departsstructurally from other scientific articles

Des scientifiques entrepreneurs : pour des formations à une pratique de recherche responsable et réflexive

En septembre 2013, pour la première fois en Europe, deux écoles d'été ouvertes aux étudiants et chercheurs auront lieu pour discuter d'enjeux de responsabilité en recherche scientifique. Mélodie Faury nous a invités à témoigner du chemin que notre collectif a parcouru pour imaginer et construire de telles formations. Etudiants en physique, biologie et chimie, nous nous sommes rencontrés dans l'environnement du Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire à Paris et via des activités associatives qu..

Féminin neutre @ Sciences Po Paris, Humanités Scientifiques, 2012-2013

Depuis deux ans, en collaboration avec Mélodie Faury, nous enseignons à Sciences Po (Paris, puis Reims). Nous y réalisons un cours qui permette aux étudiants de comprendre comment fonctionne la recherche, notamment la recherche en sciences naturelles. Quels sont ses financements, comment s'organise-t-elle, par quels conflits est-elle traversée, quels sont les faits marquants des dernières années qui ont changé les articulations entre science et société, etc. Au cours de cet enseignement nous ..

Mapping Biological Transmission: An Empirical, Dynamical, and Evolutionary Approach

International audienceThe current debate over extending inheritance and its evolutionary impact has focused on adding new categories of non-genetic factors to the classical transmission of DNA, and on trying to redefine inheritance. Transmitted factors have been mainly characterized by their directions of transmission (vertical, hori- zontal, or both) and the way they store variations. In this paper, we leave aside the issue of defining inheritance. We rather try to build an evolutionary conceptual framework that allows for tracing most, if not all forms of transmission and makes sense of their different tempos and modes. We discuss three key distinctions that should in particular be the targets of theoretical and empirical investigation, and try to assess the interplay among them and evolutionary dynamics. We distinguish two channels of transmission (channel 1 and channel 2), two measurements of the temporal dynamics of transmission, respectively across and within generations (durability and residency), and two types of transmitted factors according to their evolutionary relevance (selectively relevant and neutral stable factors). By imple- menting these three distinctions we can then map different forms of transmission over a continuous space describing the combination of their varying dynamical features. While our aim is not to provide yet another model of inheritance, putting together these distinctions and crossing them, we manage to offer an inclusive conceptual framework of transmission, grounded in empirical observation, and coherent with evolutionary theory. This interestingly opens possibilities for quali- tative and quantitative analyses, and is a necessary step, we argue, in order to question the interplay between the dynamics of evolution and the dynamics of multiple forms of transmission

L' évolution de l'information dans les systèmes vivants : une approche pour la compréhension de la coopération et des transitions évolutives majeures

PARIS5-BU Méd.Cochin (751142101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Inheritance as Evolved and Evolving Physiological Processes

International audienc

Research community: Pilot scheme for misconduct database

Researchers, journal editors and scientific institutions should work together to improve communication about misconduct cases. Although published retractions are logged by PubMed and other databases, and by blogs such as Retraction Watch (http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com), the scientific community needs a way to identify flawed articles that have not been formally retracted but have been assessed as containing falsified data or having ethical problems (see, for example, Nature 476, 263–264; 2011). To this end, we have piloted an open database of publications for which misconduct has been established by committees (such as offices of research integrity within research institutions). The database is collaborative and is coupled to an online platform on which scientific integrity can be openly and constructively debated (see http://www.scientificredcards.org and T. Flutre et al. Eur. Sci. Ed. 36, 51–52; 2010). The website focuses on the publications and not the authors, to avoid 'naming and shaming'. It has been legally validated by the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, so that such information can be made public while respecting privacy laws. To expand this initiative, the legal implications would have to be considered. It would need to be endorsed by the research community, which would cooperate to maintain and moderate it. Extensive publicity would be essential to ensure that the facility is used effectively. Our pilot project offers a route to reinforcing society's trust in science. Creating a public library of misconduct through a collaborative web platform is a timely, transparent and efficient way for the research community to communicate about possible scientific impropriety