#1131 Alan Love: How Can Development Influence Evolution?

Aug 1, 2025

Alan Love, a distinguished philosopher and evolutionary developmental biologist, dives deep into the intricate connections between development and evolution. He discusses how developmental biology generates variations that evolution acts upon, while exploring new perspectives like evo-devo and epigenetics. Love highlights niche construction theory, revealing how organisms shape their own evolutionary paths. He also addresses the challenges of the extended evolutionary synthesis and advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration in future research to unravel these complex dynamics.

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INSIGHT

Development as Source of Variation

Development is the process through which variation arises, which evolution acts upon.
Understanding development is crucial to grasp how evolutionary variation is produced and constrained.

INSIGHT

Development Constrains and Facilitates Evolution

Development can constrain evolution by limiting available variation and also facilitate evolution by making certain changes more accessible.
This dual role is captured by concepts of developmental constraints and developmental bias guiding evolutionary trajectories.

ANECDOTE

Amphibian Digit Development Example

In amphibians, the order of digit growth during development influences which digits are lost during evolution.
Digits that grow last, like the pinky, are more likely to be truncated evolutionarily due to developmental timing.

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Dr. Alan Love is Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Philosophy and Winton Chair in the Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, as well as Director of the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science. His research focuses on conceptual issues in biology and has concentrated on evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-devo), developmental biology, molecular biology, and paleontology (among others). Other areas of interest include the role of history in philosophical research and the nature of intuitions generated by thought experiments in philosophical inquiry.

In this episode, we first talk about developmental biology, and how development links to evolution. We discuss evo-devo approaches in biology, whether we need an extended evolutionary synthesis, and whether organisms can direct their own evolution. We then talk about evolvability, evolutionary novelties and how they are generated, and how stress mechanisms and physical dynamics contribute to evolutionary novelties. Finally, we discuss the future of developmental biology.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, ROBINROSWELL, KEITH RICHARDSON, HUGO B., JAMES, AND JORDAN MANSFIELD!

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