Arrival of the fittest

How do innovations arise in biology? Darwin’s theory of natural selection doesn’t tell us, except that they come about by ‘trial and error’.

Evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner will show how adaptations are not only driven by chance, but rather by a set of fundamental laws that give rise to a world of biological creativity, and to innovations as diverse as animals that fly and plants that harvest energy from sunlight.

Finding where innovations in nature come from begins to place the final puzzle piece in the mystery of life’s rich diversity.

About the Speaker

Andreas Wagner is professor in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich. His main research interest is in the evolution of biological systems, from genomes to complex molecular networks.

Wagner is the author of more than 100 scientific publications and a medal-winning popular science book ‘Paradoxical Life’.