Studying development in a changing climate: insights from the EED 2026

This summer, I had the opportunity to present my PhD work on the effects of rising temperatures on the early development of a marine chordate at the European Society for evolutionary Developmental Biology (EED) conference, held at the University of Glasgow. The conference aims to promote collaboration and connect scientists dedicated to evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo). I would like to thank the focus area Climate and Energy Transition at the University of Bergen for the generous travel grant offered. This support allowed me to participate to the conference and engage with this vibrant research society.

I decided to participate in this conference because it is such a good opportunity to get in touch with the global Evo-Devo community. Since the events welcomes research across all kingdoms of life, it offers an incredible opportunity to get familiar with other models, animals and plants alike, and with new cutting-edge technologies. I had the opportunity to connect with researchers from many different background and experience levels. I have come home with new experimental ideas and an expanded network of people to collaborate with in the future.

This year’s conference dedicated significant space to ecology, which I was extremely excited of given my interest in climate change. It seems like researchers’ attention has moved toward studying organisms within the context of a changing world. This shift was highlighted by the high numbers of talks focused on the effects of the environment on development. These studies included a diverse range of species. While some focused on classical model, like fruit flies and fish, others brought examples ranging from marine zooplankton to worms. There is space for everyone to highlight their research!

"Researchers’ attention has moved toward studying organisms within the context of a changing world"
- Chiara Castelletti

One of the most inspiring themes was the need to move our focus from the individual ‘organism’ to the entire complex of life surrounding them. Take coral reefs as an example: rising global temperatures damage these systems as they disrupt the relationship between the coral and its endosymbiotic algae. Saving these species means moving past the single-organism conservation and protecting the algae, plants and fungi that together sustain the ecosystem.

Participating in this event has strongly reinforced my belief in how relevant it is to study climate change. It is simply not possible to fully understand development and evolution without considering this parameter. I highly recommend this conference to anyone in the field. It is a great way to open the mind to new concepts and connect your research to a much greater framework.