It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, May 02, 2025
Upcoming book nature’s greatest success presents new paradigm of domestication
Credit: Nature’s Greatest Success: How Plants Evolved to Exploit Humanity, Robert Spengler, University of California Press, 2025.
For nearly two centuries, scholars have sought to understand how humans first began to domesticate plants and animals. In Nature’s Greatest Success: How Plants Evolved to Exploit Humanity, Robert Spengler argues that domestication began not as a conscious human endeavor, but an emergent evolutionary process shaped by the removal of ecological pressures by human activity.
Drawing on two decades of research and fieldwork across Asia, Spengler, archaeobotanist and leader of the Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution research group at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, shows that the domestication of plants and animals unfolded over millennia as species adapted to conditions around early villages and settlements. Human activity turned these areas into ‘habitat islands,’ with evolutionary pressures that functioned the same as the ecological pressures on oceanic islands, thereby influencing the evolution of the affected species.
In Nature’s Greatest Success, Spengler shows how the traits long identified as hallmarks of domestication—such as increased seed size, changes in coloration, reduced aggression, and loss of natural defense behaviors—are also common among isolated species on oceanic islands. He argues that this is no coincidence, presenting the Ecological Release Hypothesis as the mechanism, in which he states that domestication in prehistory was largely the result of humans keeping plants and animals confined close to their villages and away from predators and herbivores.
The implications are far-reaching. Domestication and the dawn of agriculture have long been seen as turning points in the human story. But if humans entered the process unintentionally, as Nature’s Greatest Success argues, then our role is not that of nature’s designer or master, but of a participant in an ongoing evolutionary narrative.
What’s more, domestication is continuing to unfold all around us today. The unintended consequences of human activity are increasing, Spengler argues, such that all life on Earth is on a trajectory towards domestication.
“Understanding how domestication unfolded in the past directly speaks to conservation initiatives today, in that humans are rapidly driving the evolution of organisms all over the globe,” says Spengler. “The only way to understand the long-term impacts of anthropogenic evolution is through archaeological studies.”
Nature’s Greatest Success: How Plants Evolved to Exploit Humanity from University of California Press is available wherever books are sold on 6 May 2025. For more information on Spengler’s research, conferences, and other books, visit https://www.spenglerlab.com
Dr. Spengler collecting sediment samples at the base of a 1x2 m trench in Kyrgyzstan in 2023. The sediment samples will be processed for archaeobotanical remains, with the goal of identifying early agriculture and reconstructing what the ancient farming systems looked like.
The Tie Shan wild appl, the progenitor of the modern apple. Studying wild apples is helping researchers from the Max Planck Society better understand the domestication process.
Credit
Robert Spengler
"Men evoke more confidence", or why so few women are in leadership positions in ballet
Why are there so few women in leadership positions in Polish ballet? What can be done to change this? A researcher from SWPS University analysed this issue and described her conclusions in a paper published in Research in Dance Education.
In ballet history, as well as in modern times, there have not been many female leaders. Nowadays, only a few women create choreography and manage companies, and yet they still do not get as much recognition as men.
Many female dancers, few female leaders
According to the Dance Data Project data[1], in 2022, out of 198 artistic directors in classically based companies worldwide only 58 (29%) were female, while 140 (71%) were male. On top of that, since 2021 the number of female artistic directors decreased by 4%. Among the top 30 largest companies worldwide (each with more than 75 dancers), only 8 were led by female artistic directors (27%), while 22 had male artistic directors.
This highlights the notable lack of female artistic leadership in prominent, influential companies across the globe. On the other hand, women held 71% of the positions of heads of schools, 52% of executive director/CEO positions, and 57% of assistant/associate director positions. This is consistent with a common pattern in the labour market, where teaching occupations, which are considered less prestigious, are dominated by the female gender[2].
In Poland, in the 2019/2020 season, women accounted for 59% of all employees of ballet companies. When it comes to dancers alone, there were almost twice as many female dancers as male dancers. This ratio is inversely proportional to the number of women in management positions, with the highest positions held mainly by men. Female choreographers, on the other hand, accounted for mere 19%.
Meanwhile, ballet leaders not only influence working conditions in a given place, but also decide on the repertoire, i.e. whose choreographic works will appear on stage. These decisions affect ballet as an art form and shape the ballet heritage. Therefore, the lack of women in leadership positions has a significant impact on the art of ballet, emphasizes the author of the study, Emilia Cholewicka, PhD, a culture expert, cultural economist from the Faculty of Humanities at SWPS University in Warsaw, and a dancer.
The author used statistics of the nine leading ballet companies in Poland, concerning mainly their repertories and employment structures in the 2019/2020 season. The data were supplemented by 17 in-depth interviews with professional dancers, graduates of ballet schools in Poland, conducted in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons. In her paper in Research in Dance Education the author outlines the mechanisms that perpetuate gender inequalities in the ballet environment, observed from a female perspective, considering them as an autopoietic (self-perpetuating) system.
Why are there so few women in high positions in ballet?
A number of factors contribute to the ratio of women in high positions in ballet. These include fierce competition, the sense of easy replaceability, high injury risk of the profession, the hardship of dancing en pointe, the extra hours of unpaid work involved, and a high level of body dependence, which directly affects the work and its effects. Further significant factors include the cult of the ideal, young body, which is specific to ballet dancers, as well as humility and unification as desirable traits in this profession. These factors often eliminate women from the sphere of leadership because, within the realm of ballet, leaders directly emerge from those who dance on stage.
What do Cholewicka's interviewees draw attention to? They often speak critically of ballet education in Poland. They recall ballet lessons, during which the place they occupied at the barre determined their position in the group (the best students are the most exposed, they are given the most attention, and because of the place they occupy, they have the best access to an extremely important tool of every ballet artist's work - the mirror in the ballet studio), and the discipline of teachers, whose strict attitude, and, above all, creating a sense of constant inadequacy in striving for perfection, and constant comparison, influenced their sense of self-worth and a tension between constantly competing young women. However, they also see certain advantages of ballet schools - that was where they gained their profession, learned diligence, perseverance and good time management.
They also point out that the violative cycle of a ballet career is still perpetuated. It starts at the beginning of ballet education, continues during one’s time in a ballet company, it is reinforced during the studying of ballet pedagogy and then transmitted and reproduced when one starts working, as a teacher - again in a ballet school. It is in these spaces that the autopoietic nature of the world of professional ballet is revealed. Several of the interviewed ballet artists admitted that after their experiences, they were unable to enter the ballet school building for many years after graduating.
The women interviewed as part of the study emphasise that men have a privileged position in this industry simply because there are fewer of them. Male dancers are favoured already at the stage of education. And they are the ones who later occupy high positions. The faster promotions and the lack of female leaders is due to the fact that very, very often men have the power and are just deciding, says a 32-year-old dancer, while another adds that in her opinion, men have some kind of greater credit.
Support and sisterhood – a path to change
The author of the paper argues that much depends on those in management, who make decisions regarding gender ratios or quotas and provide top-down support for women in ballet - or conversely, leave them without institutional backing.
Increased number of female ballet company leaders and their awareness regarding gender inequalities can have a cascading effect. More female choreographers have the potential to reshape scenic narratives, the image of female dancers and their scenic and labour roles. Education must undergo a change as well.
These factors highlight the necessity of transformation within the ballet community, orienting it towards supportive practices, as opposed to perpetuating a system marked by internal discord and oppressive dynamics. The relationship between women represents a fundamental starting point, that should be nurtured from an early age, particularly within the ballet educational system. Although the autopoietic system, self-propelling by definition, is difficult to change, it also offers great opportunities. Regardless of the moment of change in the loop, its trajectory and dynamics must change. Sisterhood[3], peer support, understanding and mutual help between women can bring positive changes, similarly to the necessary system-wide, top-down changes, such as greater visibility of works in women's choreography on stage, Emilia Cholewicka believes.
[1] Dance Data Project®. 2023. Global Leadership Report. https://ddp-wordpress.storage.googleapis. com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/13131540/Global-Leadership-Report-2023.pdf.
[2] Garcia-Mainar, I., V. M. Montuenga, and G. GarcÃa-MartÃn. 2018. “Occupational Prestige and Gender-Occupational Segregation.” Work, Employment and Society 32 (2): 348–367. https://doi. org/10.1177/0950017017730528.
[3] Hooks, B. Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women. 1986 https://www.jstor.org/stable/ 1394725doi:10.2307/1394725. “.” In Feminist Review no.23.
Diversity and Distributions dedicates its cover to a study by the UB’s Seabird Ecology Lab that expands our knowledge of the migratory movements of three species of seabirds and highlights the importance of this knowledge for improving the management of marine biodiversity.
A good wildlife management plan must include information on their migratory processes if the conservation of a species, particularly an endangered species, is to be improved. In the marine environment, for example, regulating fishing activity in certain wintering areas could improve and complement conservation and protection measures carried out on the breeding grounds. These are some of the conclusions of the study featured on the cover of the journal Diversity and Distributions and led by experts from the Seabird Ecology Lab of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona.
The new study analyses one of the largest and most comprehensive databases ever compiled on the migratory behaviour of Cory’s shearwater. These data include up to 1,346 migratory movements of 805 individuals from 34 breeding colonies of three closely related Cory’s shearwater species: the Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), the Cory’s shearwater (C. borealis) and the Cape Verde shearwater (C. edwardsii).
The study, which provides a broad and comprehensive view of the migratory behaviour of these taxa, results from the scientific collaboration of up to 12 research teams from seven countries around the world.
Studying migratory connectivity to improve protection
Migratory seabirds spend most of their lives at sea; this is the case of the Scopoli’s shearwater (C. diomedea) cited in the study. Knowing their wintering areas — with all the existing connections with the different breeding areas — is a key factor in establishing conservation measures and designing efficient marine protected areas (MPAs). In these migratory species, the measure of the interconnection between the different breeding populations and the wintering populations is known as migratory connectivity.
The new study combines the estimation of migratory connectivity with the environmental habitat preferences of up to three shearwater species. “The results obtained help us to understand not only how the three species migrate and behave in wintering areas, but also how this migratory behaviour may have played a role in the evolutionary segregation of the three taxa”, says Raül Ramos, associate professor at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology.
Integrating all the scientific data on the migratory connectivity of these oceanic birds as much as possible will help to manage conservation measures for the populations more effectively.
“When a species has high migratory connectivity, individuals breeding in the same populations or in proximity to each other also tend to winter together and different breeding populations do not tend to mix during wintering. Conversely, when migratory connectivity is low, individuals from different breeding populations mix in more or less common wintering areas”, explains Raül Ramos.
“In the case of seabirds, the impact of global warming or different human activities on the marine environment can alter the migratory connectivity of these species”, he continues. As the researcher Virginia Morera Pujol, first author of the study, points out, “if the protection measures are provided for a single wintering area for a species with very high migratory connectivity, the benefit for the species will be minimal”.
“In turn, disturbances in a specific wintering area of a species with high migratory connectivity could cause the local extinction of the species in one of its breeding populations because all individuals in that particular population would be affected”, she says.
Migratory behaviour and gene flow between populations
The study also reveals how the three shearwater species mostly preserve their migratory identity and explore quite different wintering areas.
“Despite this general behaviour, we have also found that birds breeding in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar (the contact area between the Atlantic and Mediterranean species) show an intermediate migratory behaviour between the two taxa. This result would indicate some gene flow between these two shearwaters, and that the segregation of the three species was probably facilitated, in part, by differences in migratory behaviour”, stresses Professor Jacob González-SolÃs, head of the Seabird Ecology Lab.
From the Mediterranean to the American shores
The paper warns that the wintering areas described have high fishing pressure, which makes wintering seabirds more vulnerable to bycatch. Other non-lethal disturbances have also been identified, such as overfishing and a reduction in available food, which could be indirect causes of population decline in the medium and long term. “This is particularly critical for the Cape Verde Cory’s shearwater, a species endemic to the archipelago and which only breeds on these islands. Our study shows that the only wintering area for this species is on the Argentinean and Brazilian coasts, and therefore any disturbance in this area would be very detrimental to the entire species”, warn the authors.
The necessary internationalization of migration studies
Access to oceanic birds for the study of their movements is one of the great obstacles to scientific activity. In the last couple of decades, new remote tracking technologies — with small, lightweight devices so as not to hinder the birds’ manoeuvrability — have facilitated fieldwork and the study of these oceanic birds, which are only accessible during the breeding season, when they incubate their clutches and breed in deep burrows, usually on islands and islets that are usually uninhabited. International collaboration has made it possible to address the cost and logistics required for this study, which puts the conservation and protection of seabirds with a wide geographical range at the centre of interest, thanks to the enormous volume of data contributed by different teams from all over the world.
The new study analyses one of the largest and most comprehensive databases ever compiled on the migratory behaviour of Cory’s shearwater.
Credit
Raül Ramos, UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA
Caption
Integrating all the scientific data on the migratory connectivity of these oceanic birds as much as possible will help to manage conservation measures for the populations more effectively.
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is highly concerned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic and has not incorporated the lessons learned from COVID-19. The GVN, comprised of 80+ Virology Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, whose mission is to facilitate pandemic preparedness against viral pathogens and diseases that threaten public health globally, believes that systemic inadequacies and vulnerabilities persist, which threaten public health on a global scale. Furthermore, the need for governments and health organizations worldwide to invest and collaborate in developing and implementing an effective, comprehensive, and integrated pandemic response program is critical.
According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank presented to the Group of Twenty (G20), or international forum of major economies, in 2022, an estimated USD $31.1 billion in annual funding is required to establish a comprehensive Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PPR) system. This falls at least USD $10.5 billion short of what is needed today to meet global preparedness requirements. To close this gap, urgent focus must be placed on strengthening systems that protect humanity from future, inevitable pandemic threats.
Past pandemics have shown that failing to invest in sustainable health infrastructure can devastate healthcare systems, economies, and societies. Moreover, the reductions in global health programs and grant funding have led to major setbacks in pandemic preparedness. Without stable and reliable funding, the world risks losing hard-won progress in disease surveillance, research, training, and emergency response capabilities.
As evidenced by the ongoing avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak, and described in GVN’s Lancet Regional Health—Americas publication, which was published Monday, mutations and genetic reassortment, where two influenza viruses combine, pose a significant risk of increased transmissibility and mortality, and the potential emergence of another global pandemic. These risks are further exacerbated by inadequate biosafety measures and the absence of a robust, coordinated global surveillance system capable of detecting and responding to such threats in real time.
To mitigate these dangers, the GVN believes immediate action is crucial to close the critical gaps in global preparedness and ensure a world ready to respond to future pandemics GVN will continue to promote sustained investment in pandemic preparedness throughout the world, especially for research and training, to ensure scientists, public health experts, and first responders have the necessary resources to detect, prevent, and control viral threats. Strengthening partnerships with global health organizations, governments, and the scientific community remains essential in addressing cross-border health challenges.
Additionally, clear and transparent communication and efforts to deal with a lack of knowledge and understanding, counter misinformation, and address vaccine hesitancy are critical to ensuring public health, restoring public trust, and ensuring compliance with health measures. The rapid spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now in measles outbreaks seen globally, highlights the necessity of reliable, science-based public health information.
About the Global Virus Network
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is a worldwide coalition comprising 80+ Virology Centers of Excellence and Affiliates across 40+ countries, whose mission is to facilitate pandemic preparedness against viral pathogens and diseases that threaten public health globally. GVN advances knowledge of viruses through (i) data-driven research and solutions, (ii) fostering the next generation of virology leaders, and (iii) enhancing global resources for readiness and response to emerging viral threats. GVN provides the essential expertise required to discover and diagnose viruses that threaten public health, understand how such viruses spread illnesses, and facilitate the development of diagnostics, therapies, and treatments to combat them. GVN coordinates and collaborates with local, national, and international scientific institutions and government agencies to provide real-time virus informatics, surveillance, and response resources and strategies. GVN's pandemic preparedness mission is achieved by focusing on Education & Training, Qualitative & Quantitative Research, and Global Health Strategies & Solutions.
The GVN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, please visit www.gvn.org
