MauricioGForero - Network

Our revised preprint following peer-review: “Why did the human brain size evolve: a way forward”. We suggest a simulation-based...

Our revised preprint following peer-review: “Why did the human brain size evolve: a way forward”. We suggest a simulation-based inference approach to infer why the human brain size evolved.
https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/7598/

Illustrating this approach, we analyse a model that recovers major patterns of human development and evolution.

We discuss how, counter-intuitively, the human brain size, seemingly one of the most extraordinary existing adaptations, is not an adaptation in the model but a spandrel or by-product of selection for something else.

This finding refers to what the human brain size is in *this* model, not necessarily in reality. We suggest that a simulation-based inference approach could now be pursued to inferring what the human brain size is in reality, not just in one model.

#evolution #evodevo #math #brain

Very grateful for the invitation to talk at the Symposium of Connection Micro and Macro Evolution in the Evolution Conference. Sadly I could...

Very grateful for the invitation to talk at the Symposium of Connection Micro and Macro Evolution in the Evolution Conference. Sadly I could only attend remotely, but nicely all talks are available in YouTube. Mine on inferring why the human brain evolved is available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXyhTDWSVfg&list=PLnl_pi1g6Uve0ZkdmIUjGw3fu91avxcE3&index=157&t=3403s

#Evolution #HumanEvolution #Brain #Maths @evol_mtg

@albertcardona @jamesbriscoe @sarperotto @AndrewKrause @IsabelSmallegange @NatureEcoEvo @flatt@ecoevo.social @rajon @LeeAltenberg...

@albertcardona @jamesbriscoe @sarperotto @AndrewKrause @IsabelSmallegange @NatureEcoEvo @flatt@ecoevo.social @rajon @LeeAltenberg @jeremydraghi @joelmcglothlin @danielnettle

There is much scope for building upon this work for deeper and multifaceted analyses. Looking forward to tackling some of that!

There is much scope for building upon this work for deeper and multifaceted analyses. Looking forward to tackling some of that!

Ecology and culture had been previously found to drive human brain expansion (https://rdcu.be/O1Vc). The new results reveal that ecology and...

Ecology and culture had been previously found to drive human brain expansion (https://rdcu.be/O1Vc). The new results reveal that ecology and culture don't increase direct selection for brain size, but affect development and so the genetic covariation that yields brain expansion.

Many of these patterns are typically thought to result from exquisite selection for them. Yet, in this model, they arise from plain...

Many of these patterns are typically thought to result from exquisite selection for them. Yet, in this model, they arise from plain selection that is diverted by development.

This model recovers a wide variety of major patterns of human development and evolution. As shown in this video, the model recovers the...

This model recovers a wide variety of major patterns of human development and evolution. As shown in this video, the model recovers the evolution of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood periods with correct timing, among other things. Brain size also more than doubles.

New paper: Evolutionary-developmental (evo-devo) dynamics of hominin brain size. Using a mathematical model I show that the large human...

New paper: Evolutionary-developmental (evo-devo) dynamics of hominin brain size. Using a mathematical model I show that the large human brain could have evolved as a side effect of selection for ovarian follicles, rather than due to selection for larger brains. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01887-8

#evolution #brain #evodevo #math

Just added this statement to my CV: "My publication strategy focuses on quality rather than quantity. I thus encourage you to judge my...

Just added this statement to my CV: "My publication strategy focuses on quality rather than quantity. I thus encourage you to judge my publications by their content rather than their numbers."

Although my work is seen as important and innovative, this keeps it from having high short-term impact or fitting pre-defined bins. I'm...

Although my work is seen as important and innovative, this keeps it from having high short-term impact or fitting pre-defined bins. I'm told to keep trying, but my contract finished, I'm unemployed with 2 kids, and my PhD date will just get older. No need for platitudes, thank you. What I need is a job.

After 88 applications for faculty jobs and 6 applications for PI-level fellowships submitted over the last 6 years, I have been interviewed...

After 88 applications for faculty jobs and 6 applications for PI-level fellowships submitted over the last 6 years, I have been interviewed for 2 faculty jobs (ranked 2nd in one) and 1 PI-level fellowship (ranked 3rd). No offer/award. Feedback received includes: few papers, few papers in high-impact journals, PhD awarded too long ago, and other applicants were better fit.

Paper in final form (open access): “A mathematical framework for evo-devo dynamics”. #evolution #development #evodevo #mathIf you have...

Paper in final form (open access): “A mathematical framework for evo-devo dynamics”. #evolution #development #evodevo #math

If you have questions or thoughts about this, or would like a hand to use it, do let me know!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040580923000758

It took 2 years and nearly 2 months from submission to acceptance, with 3 rounds of revision that made hopefully readable what was...

It took 2 years and nearly 2 months from submission to acceptance, with 3 rounds of revision that made hopefully readable what was originally an extremely long manuscript. Many thanks to the editor and reviewers for working through the long manuscript and for helping to streamline it. Also, many thanks to Andy Gardner for generously funding this work despite preferring not to be an author.

A key finding is that development imposes hard constraints on evolution, which has many implications including that evolutionary outcomes...

A key finding is that development imposes hard constraints on evolution, which has many implications including that evolutionary outcomes depend on development and on the ancestral conditions.

Very happy that this manuscript has just been accepted at Theoretical Population Biology: “A mathematical framework for evo-devo...

Very happy that this manuscript has just been accepted at Theoretical Population Biology: “A mathematical framework for evo-devo dynamics”. The paper offers a mathematical synthesis between development and evolution, and a method to simultaneously model evolutionary and developmental dynamics.
#evolution #development #evodevo #math

Accepted version here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.17.444499v5

Thank you for this, @Prof_Brix.Being Neurodivergent in Academia: Nothing wrong with mehttps://elifesciences.org/articles/93330

Thank you for this, @Prof_Brix.

Being Neurodivergent in Academia: Nothing wrong with me

https://elifesciences.org/articles/93330

This opinion piece argues that journals should allow for manuscripts to be sent to multiple journals. I like the idea. It could be made to...

This opinion piece argues that journals should allow for manuscripts to be sent to multiple journals. I like the idea. It could be made to work if journals required submission to preprint servers that listed all journals where the manuscript is under consideration. It would induce journal competition and wasted time by reviewers and editors of losing journals, but it may be less waste than the time wasted by authors waiting for decisions without journal competition https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03196-y

New preprint: Evo-devo dynamics of human brain sizehttps://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.20.533421v1#evodevo #evolution #brain...

New preprint: Evo-devo dynamics of human brain size
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.20.533421v1

#evodevo #evolution #brain #math #human

So, changing development changes the path and so does evolution and its outcome. This has wide ranging implications across evolutionary...

So, changing development changes the path and so does evolution and its outcome. This has wide ranging implications across evolutionary biology, which the paper starts to explore. 10/10

Considering both, evolution occurs along the path given by development, where the relationship between genotype and phenotype is met. Thus,...

Considering both, evolution occurs along the path given by development, where the relationship between genotype and phenotype is met. Thus, evolution does not end at fitness landscape peaks as traditionally assumed, but at path peaks. 9/10