From genes to ecosystems: how to bridge the gap between such vastly different scales

Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo
Biologist, CNRS researcher at the Institut Jacques-Monod, Paris.
Honorary Professor holding an annual chair at the Collège de France.

HiPhiS – Interuniversity Seminar on the History and Philosophy of Science
2024 Session: Questions of Scale? Comparative Perspectives.

Founded in 2009 and organized by the universities of Montpellier and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme de Montpellier, HiPhiS is a high-level inter-university seminar on contemporary science aimed at raising awareness among the entire academic community (faculty and students) of the interdisciplinary significance and philosophical implications of research conducted in the teams and laboratories of our universities, as well as within the international scientific community.

The 2024 HiPhiS program is supported by the Research MIPS Research Cluster (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems).

HiPhiS Contacts: Delphine Bellis / Laurent Boiteau / Viviane Durand-Guerrier

Abstract

From Mendel’s work in the 19th century, which demonstrated the existence of microscopic “factors” that determine flower color, to today’s biology—which is exploring the possibility of genetically modifying organisms such as mosquitoes and plants to combat epidemics and climate change—our relationship with the living world has changed significantly. And they continue to evolve as new discoveries are made. How can we understand, with today’s knowledge, the effect of genes on organisms and the environment? How can we untangle all the myriad interactions of life, from molecules to ecosystems? We will examine one of the fascinating aspects of biology: its ability to bridge extremely diverse spatial and temporal scales.