September 29 - October 2, 2016

Venue:

Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg
Lehmkuhlenbusch 4
27753 Delmenhorst
Germany

Organizers:

• Prof. Dr. Martin Brüne
  Ruhr-University Bochum
• Prof. Dr. Wulf Schiefenhövel
  Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen

September 29 - October 2, 2016

Venue:

Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg
Lehmkuhlenbusch 4
27753 Delmenhorst
Germany

Organizers:

• Prof. Dr. Martin Brüne
  Ruhr-University Bochum
• Prof. Dr. Wulf Schiefenhövel
  Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen

Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, among which biology stands out with regard to the understanding of human physiology and conditions that cause dysfunction (i.e. pathophysiology). Ironically, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field, and its relevance for the understanding of disease processes has grossly been underestimated. There are several misconceptions that have contributed to this omission. One is that evolution is deemed a slow process. For example, with regard to humans there is controversy about how much modern human populations have deviated - genetically and behaviourally – from our ancestors in the distant past. Growing evidence suggests that humans continue to evolve, though predictions of what is going to change in the next couple of generations are difficult to make. When looking at the bauplan of our species, it is certainly true that humans walk on two legs, have no fur, use tools, make war, develop slowly, care intensely for offspring, and have exceptionally large and efficient brains for a primate of our body size. A more detailed look, however, reveals that changing ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about many changes, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to the exposure to pathogens such as malaria etc. some of which evolved in response to changes in the human environment.
From a medical point of view, it is more than obvious that many adaptations to past ecologies have turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder, among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases including allergies, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. In addition, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions add to the list. But do these insights help fight disease? Beyond any doubt, yes. Many potential solutions pertain to lifestyle changes such as dietary measures, stress reduction, physical exercise, etc., the success of which is meagre, partly, because pathological changes in the individuum develop slowly and it takes at least equally long to rewind the wheel.
What is of immediate importance to recognise is that the slowness of evolutionary changes only concerns macroanatomical features of humans. In contrast, most clinicians are oblivious to the fact that evolution has its place in everyday practice, that is, the fight of the human organism against rapidly changing pathogens and rapidly changing genomes of cancer cells. So, taken together the understanding of evolutionary processes in medicine is not just an academic exercise, it is imperative to find cures for the most prevalent diseases across the globe.
Other misconceptions concern views suggesting that organisms are designed similar to machines, which are optimised solutions for their purpose. Instead, as Nesse (2009) and other leading scholars have repeatedly pointed out, organisms are full of compromises shaped by natural selection to maximize reproduction, not necessarily wellbeing. Finally, there is little evidence for claims made at times in the medical literature that common heritable diseases are caused by a limited number of defective genes. In contrast, evolutionary medicine proposes that complex gene-environment interactions and the pleiotropic action of genes leading to design compromises are involved in the causation of disease.
Taken together, there is good reason to propose that evolutionary thinking needs to be implemented in medical curricula. To date, however, this has barely happened in medical schools throughout the world. One problem in this regard is that there is a shortage of textbooks suitable to introduce evolutionary biology early in medical curricula. This is necessary, as we assert, because students need to endorse this approach from the very first semester, to abandon common views that evolution is interesting, but not mandatory for the understanding of disease.

The conference aims at bringing together internationally highly recognized scientists from various fields of medicine. The ultimate goal of the conference is to create a state-of-the-art symposium with sufficient room of discussion of the role of evolution in medicine, and what knowledge about evolutionary processes can contribute to develop novel treatment strategies.

Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, among which biology stands out with regard to the understanding of human physiology and conditions that cause dysfunction (i.e. pathophysiology). Ironically, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field, and its relevance for the understanding of disease processes has grossly been underestimated. There are several misconceptions that have contributed to this omission. One is that evolution is deemed a slow process. For example, with regard to humans there is controversy about how much modern human populations have deviated - genetically and behaviourally – from our ancestors in the distant past. Growing evidence suggests that humans continue to evolve, though predictions of what is going to change in the next couple of generations are difficult to make. When looking at the bauplan of our species, it is certainly true that humans walk on two legs, have no fur, use tools, make war, develop slowly, care intensely for offspring, and have exceptionally large and efficient brains for a primate of our body size. A more detailed look, however, reveals that changing ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about many changes, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to the exposure to pathogens such as malaria etc. some of which evolved in response to changes in the human environment.
From a medical point of view, it is more than obvious that many adaptations to past ecologies have turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder, among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases including allergies, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. In addition, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions add to the list. But do these insights help fight disease? Beyond any doubt, yes. Many potential solutions pertain to lifestyle changes such as dietary measures, stress reduction, physical exercise, etc., the success of which is meagre, partly, because pathological changes in the individuum develop slowly and it takes at least equally long to rewind the wheel.
What is of immediate importance to recognise is that the slowness of evolutionary changes only concerns macroanatomical features of humans. In contrast, most clinicians are oblivious to the fact that evolution has its place in everyday practice, that is, the fight of the human organism against rapidly changing pathogens and rapidly changing genomes of cancer cells. So, taken together the understanding of evolutionary processes in medicine is not just an academic exercise, it is imperative to find cures for the most prevalent diseases across the globe.
Other misconceptions concern views suggesting that organisms are designed similar to machines, which are optimised solutions for their purpose. Instead, as Nesse (2009) and other leading scholars have repeatedly pointed out, organisms are full of compromises shaped by natural selection to maximize reproduction, not necessarily wellbeing. Finally, there is little evidence for claims made at times in the medical literature that common heritable diseases are caused by a limited number of defective genes. In contrast, evolutionary medicine proposes that complex gene-environment interactions and the pleiotropic action of genes leading to design compromises are involved in the causation of disease.
Taken together, there is good reason to propose that evolutionary thinking needs to be implemented in medical curricula. To date, however, this has barely happened in medical schools throughout the world. One problem in this regard is that there is a shortage of textbooks suitable to introduce evolutionary biology early in medical curricula. This is necessary, as we assert, because students need to endorse this approach from the very first semester, to abandon common views that evolution is interesting, but not mandatory for the understanding of disease.

The conference aims at bringing together internationally highly recognized scientists from various fields of medicine. The ultimate goal of the conference is to create a state-of-the-art symposium with sufficient room of discussion of the role of evolution in medicine, and what knowledge about evolutionary processes can contribute to develop novel treatment strategies.

Oxford University Press has accepted to publish the work and outcome of the conference under the title: Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine.

Oxford University Press has accepted to publish the work and outcome of the conference under the title: Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine.

The conference is funded through a grant by the Fritz-Thyssen Stiftung.

The conference is funded through a grant by the Fritz-Thyssen Stiftung.

Thursday, September 29

14:30 - 15:30    Arrival, get together
15:30 - 16:30    Martin Brüne & Wulf Schiefenhövel
                            Introduction: Why medicine needs a deeper understanding of
                            human evolutionary physiology: The project
16:30 - 17:30    Paul Ewald
                            Genetics and Epigenetics Part I
17:30 - 18:00    Coffee break
18:00 - 19:00    Holly Swain Ewald
                            Genetics and Epigenetics Part II
19:15                  Dinner at the HWK

Friday, September 30

09:00 - 10:00    Barry Bogin
                            Human growth and development in evolutionary perspective
10:00 - 11:00    Nicole Bender
                            Musculoskeletal System Part I
11:00 - 12:00    Frank Rühli
                            Musculoskeletal System Part II
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Ann Caldwell
                            Nutrition and Energy Expenditure Part I
14:00 - 15:00    Melvin Konner
                            Nutrition and Energy Expenditure Part II
15:00 - 15:30    Coffee break
15:30 - 16:30    Kevin S. Shah
                            Cardiovascular System
16:30 - 17:30    John Furness
                            Digestive System I: How food choices and food technology
                            have influenced human evolution and health
16:30 - 17:30    Eve K. Boyle
                            Digestive System II
17:30 - 18:30    Coffee Break & General Discussion Day 1 & 2
18:30                  Dinner at the restaurant Graftwerk, Delmenhorst

Saturday, October 1

09:00 - 10:00    Martin Brüne
                            Nervous System and human behaviour
10:00 - 11:00    Paola Romagnani
                            Excretory Systems Part I
11:00 - 12:00    Hans-Joachim Anders
                            Excretory Systems Part II: Evolutionary origins of diseases
                            related to the handling of salt, water, and nitrogenous waste
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Wenda Trevathan
                            Sexuality, Reproduction, and Birth Part I
14:00 - 15:00    Wulf Schiefenhövel
                            Sexuality, Reproduction, and Birth Part II
15:00 - 15:30    Coffee break
15:30 - 16:30    Mark Hill
                            Skin and Integument
16:30 - 17:30    James DeGregori
                            Blood Part I
17:30 - 18:30    Eric Pietras
                            Blood Part II
18:30 - 19:30    Coffee Break & General Discussion Day 3
19:45                  Dinner at the HWK

Sunday, October 2

                            Departure (for the ones who are still around,
                            we are planning a visit to the old town of Bremen)

Thursday, September 29

14:30 - 15:30    Arrival, get together
15:30 - 16:30    Martin Brüne & Wulf Schiefenhövel
                            Introduction: Why medicine needs a deeper understanding of
                            human evolutionary physiology: The project
16:30 - 17:30    Paul Ewald
                            Genetics and Epigenetics Part I
17:30 - 18:00    Coffee break
18:00 - 19:00    Holly Swain Ewald
                            Genetics and Epigenetics Part II
19:15                  Dinner at the HWK

Friday, September 30

09:00 - 10:00    Barry Bogin
                            Human growth and development in evolutionary perspective
10:00 - 11:00    Nicole Bender
                            Musculoskeletal System Part I
11:00 - 12:00    Frank Rühli
                            Musculoskeletal System Part II
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Ann Caldwell
                            Nutrition and Energy Expenditure Part I
14:00 - 15:00    Melvin Konner
                            Nutrition and Energy Expenditure Part II
15:00 - 15:30    Coffee break
15:30 - 16:30    Kevin S. Shah
                            Cardiovascular System
16:30 - 17:30    John Furness
                            Digestive System I: How food choices and food technology
                            have influenced human evolution and health
16:30 - 17:30    Eve K. Boyle
                            Digestive System II
17:30 - 18:30    Coffee Break & General Discussion Day 1 & 2
18:30                  Dinner at the restaurant Graftwerk, Delmenhorst

Saturday, October 1

09:00 - 10:00    Martin Brüne
                            Nervous System and human behaviour
10:00 - 11:00    Paola Romagnani
                            Excretory Systems Part I
11:00 - 12:00    Hans-Joachim Anders
                            Excretory Systems Part II: Evolutionary origins of diseases
                            related to the handling of salt, water, and nitrogenous waste
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Wenda Trevathan
                            Sexuality, Reproduction, and Birth Part I
14:00 - 15:00    Wulf Schiefenhövel
                            Sexuality, Reproduction, and Birth Part II
15:00 - 15:30    Coffee break
15:30 - 16:30    Mark Hill
                            Skin and Integument
16:30 - 17:30    James DeGregori
                            Blood Part I
17:30 - 18:30    Eric Pietras
                            Blood Part II
18:30 - 19:30    Coffee Break & General Discussion Day 3
19:45                  Dinner at the HWK

Sunday, October 2

                            Departure (for the ones who are still around,
                            we are planning a visit to the old town of Bremen)