Institute of Evolution
The Institute of Evolution (IoE)
Established in the University of Haifa at 1977 by prof. Eviatar Nevo, includes 12 faculty members (members of the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology) and more than 20 affiliated scientists with PhD degrees.
The Institute of Evolution (IOE) at the University of Haifa is unique in its broad and interdisciplinary research with particular expertise in population and evolutionary genetics, developmental evolution, behavioral evolution, bioinformatics and ecology. The IOE is situated on Mount Carmel at the heart of the Carmel national park, next to one of most beautiful cities around the Mediterranean, we are in prefect location to study biodiversity and evolution. We are abundant with in house and outdoor facilities providing for modern, cutting edge science. Together with the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology based in our campus, we are a center of excellence in the field of ecology and evolution in the north of Israel.
Institute News
Congratulations to Prof. Eran Tauber for winning an EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action for doctoral education and postdoctoral training for research of biological clocks in Insects!
Catсhing Blind Mole Rats by Dr. Imad Shams in the Upper Galilee
Credit: Dr. Grace Smarsh
Scientific Seminars
The presented lectures deal mainly with the hot topics in evolutionary biology, molecular genetics, genomics, and ecology. The seminars are delivered by expert lecturers and distinguished visitors in a relaxed environment.
At this point, the seminars will be held on Mondays at 12:00 pm
Next seminar:
25.11.2024, Seminar Room 223, Multi-purpose building
School of Plant Science and Food Security & Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems
Tel-Aviv University
Plant Tropisms as a Window on Computation & Behavior in Distributed Systems
Plants perform complex navigational problem-solving, such as deciding on an optimal growth direction for maximal photosynthesis - when exposed to multiple fluctuating light sources in continuously changing environments. While they have no brain or neural system, they can sense their environment, process sensory information, and plan strategic growth movements. Since plants are distributed systems, with no central control center, underlying computational processes must be emergent properties of the tissue. In this talk I will give an overview of some of our recent findings in the lab, encompassing (i) plant movement as a combination of active growth and passive mechanics, underpinning interactions with obstacles, (ii) integration of sensory information over space and time, and (iii) collective behavior of crowded plants.