Philipp Mitteröcker

10.03.2026

Evolutionary adaptation, reproductive timing, and why we have to die

Unit for Theoretical Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology
University of Vienna

Based on a recent paper (https://doi.org/10.1093/jeb/voaf145), I present a model of how natural selection effects the timing of development and reproduction, and how this evolved link facilities evolvability, i.e., the speed and capacity of adaptation. This model also sheds light on the role of aging for adaptive evolution.