Evolution Meeting in Lisbon Raises Concern

Dr. Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C — © 2013

Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

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“…Lisbon taught us a lesson: its beauty and history, museums and palaces, cathedrals and monuments all honored the value of discovery, the irrefutable foundation of true civilizations.”

     There is a connection between Portugal’s cultural and historical commitment to explore the unknown and what just happened at the XIV European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) meeting held in Lisbon August 19 to 24, 2013. But a preamble here is merited before I address the conference’s substantial outcomes.

     Portugal’s and Spain’s leadership during The Age of Discovery (1500s-1600s) is undeniable. The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, aimed at sharing between both kingdoms the geopolitical control of the world, as much as it could be explored, conquered and, inevitably by post-Crusade-invasion practices, Christianized. And so it was.

Monument to The Discoveries with Henry The Navigator leading it, Lisbon, Photo © 2013 Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C.

     Exploration and discovery did nurture Europe’s curiosity for sighting the “planet’s final frontiers” in the 16th and 17th centuries, starting with the uncertainty of Earth’s shape and its implications for circumnavigation. But trade and profit were the vested motivators for the monarchies to “globalize” their understanding of the world which, 500 years ago, was not even conceived as a globe.

     In a classical Type One error effort —to use modern science terminology— Christopher Columbus, a Genoese explorer sponsored by Spain, failed at arriving to Asia via the Pacific, and instead bumped into unfamiliar terra firma in 1492. Columbus was conceptually wrong and died, in 1506, unaware of the mistake, but his maritime adventure brought, nonetheless, unprecedented wealth to Europe.

     The Portuguese Vasco da Gama tested with success, from 1497-1499, an alternative proposal: that India could be reached if sailing around Africa, relying, of course, on the Earth’s roundness, plus novel technology, instrumentation, and vessel design.

     In retrospect, Columbus and da Gama quests seeded today’s world interconnectedness. But it was science inspiring mere pursuit of knowledge —equivalent to research programs— which led to the prosperity later harvested. Both Columbus and da Gama thought the former arrived in the “West Indies.” Yet, it took additional expeditions (1499-1504), by cartographer Amerigo Vespucci, from Florence, to conjecture the existence of an entirely new continent in the Pacific, a major “paradigm shift” not unusual in science considering it relies on seeking the truth via skepticism.

Tomb of Vasco da Gama in the Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon, Photo © 2013 Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C.

     And science, materialized for its intrinsic significance, curiosity-driven and respected for advancing knowledge and debunking myth —rather than for amassing fortune when its applications expedite income for entrepreneurs— was the spirit of 1,500 international delegates gathered at ESEB 2013.  

     Lisbon was ideal for a conference about ancestry and change, legacy and improvement, the essence of evolutionary biology. At 34 symposia and 74 plenary talks, 360 speakers and authors of 900 posters discussed genetic and non-genetic (cultural) inheritance of traits, animal behavior, mechanisms of species recognition to avoid hybridization, natural and sexual selection, host-parasite interactions, human evolution, aging and senescence, emergence of drug resistance, conservation of wildlife, online resources and quantitative simulations to teach evolution, and climate-change impacts on ecological and evolutionary processes.    

     A sense of “fundamental research is what matters, not the sheer application of science for revenue” resounded during the conference. The concern that funding for basic science is scarce worldwide, the disinterest among benefactors in sponsoring “why questions” in studies, and rather favoring the “how much return will that generate for the industry, the patenting system, the biolabs, the administrative overheads,” and the uncertainty about the future of exploring ultimate queries —the reason for science’s existence— were at the heart of small talking during the conference. 

Splendid exhibit “Forms and Formulas” at Lisbon’s National Museum of Natural History and Science, Photo © 2013 Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C. 

     But ESEB 2013 was not alone in this respect. During this summer, US researchers had specifically addressed the importance of sponsoring significant investigations. The Animal Behavior Society (ABS), for example, organized at its 50th anniversary meetings in Boulder, Colorado, July 28 to August 1st, the discussion “Time to Step Up! Defending Basic Science,” under the premise that behavioral research has been “ridiculed” and caricatured by elected officials as “wasteful government spending.” Ironically, behaviorists are the “role models” who continue to inspire worldwide interest in science, and ABS provided a list of them: Edward O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins, Judy A. Stamps, John Maynard Smith, and William D. Hamilton, among 15 others.

     Likewise, the American Society for Microbiology featured in Denver, Colorado, May 18 to 21, the President’s Forum “Curiosity-Driven Basic Research: Laying the Foundation for Discoveries and Application of the Future,” where “the critical importance of basic investigations and the need to articulate why discovery is so essential” was the consensus. And it cannot be otherwise at times when trivialization of reality, fed by entertainment, belief in the supernatural, disrespect for education, and self confidence nourished by how much is in the pocket, rather than in the schooled mind, can lead the populous to applaud emptiness.

     But Lisbon taught us a lesson: its beauty and history, museums and palaces, cathedrals and monuments all honored the value of discovery, the irrefutable foundation of true civilizations. — © 2013 by Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C. all rights reserved.

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Dr. Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C — © 2013

Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

[click on title to be redirected to The Standard Times]

“…University San Francisco of Quito and its Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences excelled at managing the III World Evolution Summit with unique vision and hospitality and at highlighting the scientific relevance of the Galapagos, its role in Charles Darwin’s conceptualization of “his theory” of evolution by natural selection, and the importance of this volcanic archipelago as World Heritage… USFQ and GAIAS are exemplars of a liberal arts model in the Americas, one that merges institutional identity with cultural heritage…”

    I just represented UMassD at the World Evolution Summit, San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. The 200-attendee meeting took place June 1-5, 2013; it included 12 keynote addresses, 20 oral presentations by international scholars, and about 30 posters by, mostly, graduate and undergraduate students. It was the third Summit organized by University San Francisco of Quito (USFQ) and its Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS). The Summit reverberates every four years.

     Both USFQ and GAIAS excelled at managing the event with unique vision and hospitality and at highlighting the scientific relevance of the Galapagos, its role in Charles Darwin’s conceptualization of “his theory” of evolution by natural selection, and the importance of this volcanic archipelago as World Heritage. Darwin visited the Galapagos in 1835 during an amazing journey (1831-1836) on board of the HMS Beagle, an expedition vessel commanded by Captain Robert FitzRoy.

Above, map of the Galapagos Islands by Captain Robert FitzRoy (1836)

Above, HMS Beagle at Tierra del Fuego, painted by Conrad Martens, ship’s artist (1831-1836)

     Under the umbrella “Why Does Evolution Matter?” the Summit included five sessions: evolution and society, pre-cellular evolution and the RNA world (RNA is a precursor molecule to DNA, the carrier of genetic coding), behavior and environment, genome, and microbes and diseases. Plus an unforgettable farewell party, Galapagean style, with live music, performances, and spirits. USFQ and GAIAS are skillful at including the Galapagos community in all events, which brings pride to all parties. USFQ and GAIAS are exemplars of a liberal arts model in the Americas, one that merges institutional identity with cultural heritage.

     The Summit was publicized by the media worldwide with instant twitting, video uploading online, TV and radio reporters chasing the speakers, and press releases. The Galapagos might be distantly located 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador, but the Summit was constantly “close by” in the news. Indeed, there is no place on Earth like the Galapagos Islands and no better destination to discuss the reality of evolution.

Above, magnificent Swallow-tailed Gull. “…Indeed, there is no place on Earth like the Galapagos Islands and no better destination to discuss the reality of evolution…” Photo © 2009 Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C.

     I was invited by USFQ and GAIAS to present at the Summit my research program at UMassD. In my keynote address, I discussed “Evolution, Science, Pseudo Science and the Public’s Perception of Reality.” The topic is provocative and it did trigger sharp questions from the audience, dozens of twits, journalists impatient to get exclusive interviews, and an avalanche of sympathizers with my concerns about the low public’s acceptance of evolution worldwide. I contrasted with data the anecdotic perception, even among some of the co-keynote speakers, that opposition to evolution is a phenomenon restricted to the United States, and I framed the problem conceptually, subject to scientific inquiry and testing.

     During the past five years, my collaborator Dr. Avelina Espinosa (professor at Roger Williams University) and I have documented scientifically the patterns of acceptance of evolution in New England and the attitudes toward science by highly educated audiences [download PDF of scientific article on Acceptance of Evolution in New England]. With so many reputable universities, New England is a great “field site” for our studies. We have proposed that the controversy over evolution versus creationism (including all its modern forms: theistic evolution, creation science, young-earth creationism, Intelligent Design, BioLogos) is intrinsic to the incompatibility between scientific rationalism/empiricism and the belief in supernatural causation.

   Dr. Espinosa and I have published extensively on the topic and tested quantitatively the “incompatibility hypothesis” which helps us understand the core reason for the controversy science versus belief. This was the essence of my keynote address at the World Evolution Summit and my colleagues’ response, plus that of the audience, were amazingly encouraging. The media went beyond: “it is time, and important, to say it the way it is” stated Rodolfo Asar, host of the TV program “On Myths and Truths: Frauds in Science” when dialoguing with Dr. Espinosa and me. Rodolfo and his co-host, Maria Eulalia Silva, play a crucial role in educating the public, their program is featured primetime by Teleamazonas.

     What is the incompatibility hypothesis, how do you test it?, asked Rodolfo. I explained that acceptance of evolution and scientific rationalism is characterized by three main factors: the level of an individual’s understanding of science, her/his familiarity with the process of evolution, and her/his personal belief convictions [download PDF of scientific article about the Incompatibility Hypothesis]. In all our studies with the New England professors, educators of prospective teachers, and college students, the single negatively associated variable with acceptance of evolution is the degree of religiosity. And to test it, we have compared such trend with the views of non-believers, who do not possess the academic credentials of the New England scholars, but their levels of understanding the foundations of science and evolution are comparable to the highly educated professors. “Evolution is true regardless of our awareness of it,” I concluded.

     I must confess that the World Evolution Summit in the Galapagos shall remain as one of my most memorable experiences. — © 2013 by Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C. all rights reserved.

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