News
2021-10-01
New thematic issue of Biological Theory: Evolution of Kinship Systems
The September issue of our journal, Biological Theory, is now out.
2018-11-05
New Scientific Director of the KLI
Guido Caniglia took up his position as Scientific Director of the KLI in November 2018.
2024-01-26
New Review Paper: Evolution at the Origins of Life?
“...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved...” (Darwin 1859)
But what about the time before the ‘so simple’ beginning? Does evolutionary theory apply there? Let's ask Schoenmakers et al.!
2022-11-29
New reading group on Feminist STS at the Vienna Science Studies Lab
The Vienna Science Studies Lab is an intra-institution initiative revived this winter by the KLI, UPSalon UniVie, and the In/human project at CEU. A reading group on Feminist STS is the first event.
2022-12-12
New reading group on Agents and Agency
This reading group is loosely but seriously centered around agency.
2026-05-21
New Publication: µCT scanning effects on aDNA and a multi-step workflow for archaeological petrous portions
In a recent publication in PloS One, KLI senior postdoc fellow Anne Le Maître and KLI alumna Lumila Menéndez argue for more sustainable and ethical practices for the study of anthropological collections. (click on title to continue)
2026-04-30
New Publication: There Is No Measurement Error in Biology
In a recent article in Biological Theory, Philipp Mitteroecker questions traditional concepts of measurement error in biology. (click on title to continue)
2026-02-16
New Publication: The neural basis of imagination: An evolutionary perspective
In a recent paper published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, KLI fellow Oryan Zacks, along with Eva Jablonka, discusses the evolution of neural structures related to imagination. (click on title to continue)
2026-07-17
New Publication: Special Issue: The Relevance of a Philosophical Toolkit to Advance Neuroscience
The special issue “The Relevance of a Philosophical Toolkit to Advance Neuroscience” in the European Journal of Neuroscience, edited by KLI Group Leader Isabella Sarto-Jackson and colleagues, is online now. (Click on the title to continue)
2025-12-02
New Publication: Special issue of the Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris (BMSAP): Mortuary practices and social inference
KLI fellow Anne Le Maître, along with colleagues from the Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, coordinated a special issue of the journal BMSAP on the topic "Mortuary practices and social inference.” (Click on title to continue)
2024-05-28
New Publication: Special issue of the Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société dAnthropologie de Paris (BMSAP): Invasive, micro-invasive and non-invasive analyses of anthropobiological remains
KLI fellow Anne Le Maître, along with colleagues from the Société d'Anthropologie de Paris coordinated a special issue of the Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris (BMSAP) on the topic, "Invasive, micro-invasive and non-invasive analysis of anthropobiological remains. How and why?” This special issue comprises several articles stemming from the presentations given during the 2023 annual meeting of the Société d'Anthropologie de Paris. (Click on title to continue)
2026-07-16
New Publication: Spark, Scaffold, Substrate: The Multiple Hidden Roles of Natural History in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
In a recent paper published in The American Naturalist, KLI alumni Hari Sridhar and Joyshree Chanam, together with Priyanka Hariharan, contribute to the ongoing debate over the place of natural history in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). (Click on the title to continue)
2026-02-16
New Publication: Over the edge: Empirical evidence for the cliff-edge model of obstetric selection
A recent paper co-authored by Barbara Fischer and Philipp Mitteroecker applies the cliff-edge model of obstetric selection to real-world data and illustrates how medical interventions can alter evolutionary dynamics. (click on title to continue)
2026-04-17
New Publication: On “Hennig’s Dilemma” and the Post-Systematics Wars
In a new article in the Journal of the History of Biology, KLI postdoctoral fellow Marcelo Domingos de Santis challenges the conventional narrative of the systematics wars. (click on title to continue)
2026-06-29
New Publication: Notch coordinates self-organization of germ layers and axial polarity in sea anemone gastruloids
In a recent paper published in Nature Communications, KLI fellow Sanjay Narayanaswamy and colleagues investigate the role of Notch signaling in self-organizing gastruloids. (click on title to continue)
2024-10-17
New Publication: No birth-associated maternal mortality in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) despite giving birth to large-headed neonates
In a recent paper published in PNAS, co-leads Barbara Fischer (KLI & University of Vienna) along with Katharina Pink (Medical University of Vienna) and team reported that female Japanese macaques, despite having the same pelvis-to-fetal-head ratio as female humans, do not suffer the same birth complications as human mothers. This is supported by evidence from a long-term demographic data showing zero maternal mortality linked to childbirth in these non-human primates. This study contributes to our current understanding of the interplay between pelvic morphology and birth dynamics and provides further insights into how to provide better care for human mothers to lessen complications during physiological births. The study made it to the cover of the journal.
2026-05-21
New Publication: New issue of the Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris (BMSAP)
KLI fellow Anne Le Maître, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris (BMSAP), together with Bérénice Chamel (Institut Français du Proche-Orient, Beyrouth, Lebanon), coordinated the new issue of this journal. (Click on title to continue)
2026-06-11
New Publication: Integrative Neurobiology and Cultural Context Theory: The Role of Cultural Neurobiological Inheritance Systems
A recent paper co-authored by Isabella Sarto-Jackson and Barbara Fischer presents a new theoretical perspective on the transmission of behavior, the “Integrative Neurobiology and Cultural Context (INCC) theory”. (click on title to continue)
2026-03-16
New Publication: Genetic variance in reproductive timing contributes to trait evolvability
In a recent publication, Philipp Mitteroecker shows how genetic variance in the timing of development and reproduction increases the speed of adaptive evolution, which also has implications for the evolution of aging. (click on title to continue)

