Gaelle Pontarotti | Université Paris 1 - Panthéon-Sorbonne (original) (raw)

Papers by Gaelle Pontarotti

Biological Theory, May 5, 2022

In this article the funding from the ANR EnviroBioSoc Project (Grant 19-CES26-0018-01 of the Fren... more In this article the funding from the ANR EnviroBioSoc Project (Grant 19-CES26-0018-01 of the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche) was omitted. The original article has been corrected. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Quarterly Review of Biology, Dec 1, 2015

Dialogue

RésuméLe concept de race a oscillé dès l'origine entre la sphère politico-sociale et la biolo... more RésuméLe concept de race a oscillé dès l'origine entre la sphère politico-sociale et la biologie. Si les perspectives sociales ont été dominantes dans la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, une nouvelle forme de naturalisation semble émerger à l’ère de l’épigénétique. Dans cet article, je montre que la conception épigénétique de la race rappelle d'anciennes perspectives externalistes et engage à articuler naturalisme, environnementalisme et constructivisme biosocial. Je souligne qu'elle fait apparaître la race comme une propriété relationnelle, plastique et accidentelle, et les groupes raciaux comme des constructions bio-sociales historiquement contingentes.

médecine/sciences

L’extension du concept d’hérédité au-delà du tout génétique a fait l’objet de nombreux débats en ... more L’extension du concept d’hérédité au-delà du tout génétique a fait l’objet de nombreux débats en biologie de l’évolution, mais elle a été relativement ignorée dans le champ de la biomédecine. L’objectif de cet article prospectif est de souligner les conséquences potentielles d’une vision renouvelée de l’hérédité sur la théorie médicale, notamment sur le concept de maladie héréditaire, ainsi que de mettre en évidence certains enjeux pratiques et sociaux connexes.

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 2020

Biological Theory, 2020

The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other ... more The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other elements, parts of organisms' environments. The literature refers to the trans-generational reconstruction of these parts in terms of environmental or ecological inheritance. This article's main objective is to clarify the different meanings of "environmental inheritance," to underline so far unnoticed theoretical difficulties associated to this polysemous notion and to consequently argue that inheritance, even when extended, should be theoretically distinguished from trans-generational environmental stability. After disentangling the different meanings of environmental inheritance, I underline that studies dealing with this concept place themselves in the wake of earlier contributions about biological environment and elaborate on the role of organisms in the determination of their relevant developmental and selective surroundings. This leads me to question the legitimacy of the category shift operated by niche inheritance proponents-from environment to inheritance-and to explain why the very concept of inherited environment shows important and so far unnoticed theoretical limitations (theoretical redundancy and theoretical inconsistency). In this context, I assert the necessity to distinguish two related but different research programs: the construction of a finer-grained theory of environment and the elaboration of an extended theory of inheritance.

Genetica

The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in th... more The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in the wake of late 19th century studies about heredity. In this paper, we provide a conceptual analysis that highlights that the G-P distinction was grounded on three pillars: observability, transmissibility, and causality. Originally, the genotype is the non-observable and transmissible cause of the phenotype, which is its observable and non-transmissible effect. We argue that the current developments of biology have called the validity of such pillars into question. First, molecular biology has unveiled the putative material substrate of the genotype (qua DNA), making it an observable object. Second, numerous findings on nongenetic heredity suggest that some phenotypic traits can be directly transmitted. Third, recent organicist approaches to biological phenomena have emphasized the reciprocal causality between parts of a biological system, which notably applies to the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. As a consequence, we submit that the G-P distinction has lost its general validity, although it can still apply to specific situations. This calls for forging new frameworks and concepts to better describe heredity and development.

Cahiers philosophiques, 2019

Dans cet article, j’interroge les differents roles ayant ete joues par les metaphores dans les et... more Dans cet article, j’interroge les differents roles ayant ete joues par les metaphores dans les etudes consacrees a l’heredite biologique. Je soutiens plus precisement que ces roles ont eu une incidence significative sur le statut epistemologique d’un concept cle des sciences du vivant. A travers un bref parcours historique, je montre que la notion d’heredite biologique a oscille, depuis son introduction en medecine et en physiologie, entre theorie et metaphore. J’affirme en particulier que les recentes etudes sur l’heredite dite etendue mobilisent des metaphores non assumees et ramenent ainsi subtilement l’heredite biologique dans le champ des concepts metaphoriques1.

Genetica, 2022

The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in th... more The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in the wake of late 19th century studies about heredity. In this paper, we provide a conceptual analysis that highlights that the G-P distinction was grounded on three pillars: observability, transmissibility, and causality. Originally, the genotype is the non-observable and transmissible cause of the phenotype, which is its observable and non-transmissible effect. We argue that the current developments of biology have called the validity of such pillars into question. First, molecular biology has unveiled the putative material substrate of the genotype (qua DNA), making it an observable object. Second, numerous findings on nongenetic heredity suggest that some phenotypic traits can be directly transmitted. Third, recent organicist approaches to biological phenomena have emphasized the reciprocal causality between parts of a biological system, which notably applies to the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. As a consequence, we submit that the G-P distinction has lost its general validity, although it can still apply to specific situations. This calls for forging new frameworks and concepts to better describe heredity and development.

Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Vrin. © Vrin. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La r... more Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Vrin. © Vrin. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.

Lato Sensu, Revue de la Société de philosophie des sciences, 2016

Epigenetics, 2019

The conference 'The Many Faces of Epigenetics: Multidisciplinary Perspectives "over" Genetics' wa... more The conference 'The Many Faces of Epigenetics: Multidisciplinary Perspectives "over" Genetics' was held in Oxford (6-8 December 2017) and offered a valuable window into the domain of Epigenetics and its promises. The workshop revealed that, among a wealth of discourses about Epigenetics, it is not so easy to decipher which discourses are to be trusted. Because Epigenetics is a rather old notion that has generated many debates and promises, defining precisely what has changed and where we are currently is a challenge in itself. Interestingly, the conference allowed debates beyond statements such as 'If you don't know the cause, you say it's epigenetic' (Deichmann 2016), pointing out that the lack of a precise definition of Epigenetics was no hindrance to the discussions. Finally, it highlighted the grounds of (dis)agreement among communities of natural and social scientists; but eventually the discussions showed that epigenetic tools open the path to new topics and challenges that are awaiting us.

New Genetics and Society, 2019

Looking at the new and often disputed science of epigenetics, we examined the challenges faced by... more Looking at the new and often disputed science of epigenetics, we examined the challenges faced by scientists when they communicate scientific research to the public. We focused on the use of metaphors to illustrate notions of epigenetics and genetics. We studied the “encoding” by epigeneticists and “decoding” in focus groups with diverse backgrounds. We observed considerable overlap in the dominant metaphors favored by both researchers and the lay public. However, the groups differed markedly in their interpretations of which metaphors aided understanding or not. We conclude by discussing the role of metaphors and their interpretations in the context of a shift from pre-deterministic genomic metaphors to more active, dynamic and nuanced epigenetic metaphors. These reflections on the choice of metaphors and differences in encoding/decoding are important for science communication and scientific boundary-maintenance.

Biological Theory, 2015

Basque Country (San Sebastián). This year's meeting was directed principally by Werner Callebaut ... more Basque Country (San Sebastián). This year's meeting was directed principally by Werner Callebaut (KLI) and Giovanni Boniolo (European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan). The seminar focused on ''ontological issues in the life sciences,'' a theme that deserves some general comment. For much of the twentieth century, and perhaps still to some extent today, the notion that there would be ontological issues in the life sciences might have sounded strange. Ontology has traditionally been conceived as an area of pure philosophy far removed from the concerns and the possible contributions of the empirical sciences. Conversely, it would seem that any issues that might arise in the life sciences should be resolvable from within, rather than calling for philosophical or ontological intervention. This methodological division partly reflects the strict partition between philosophy and science that was embedded in the old positivistic philosophy of science of Carnap, Neurath, and others belonging to the Vienna Circle. Several developments have contributed to the erosion of this

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2019

We develop a conceptual framework that connects biological heredity and organization. Heredity de... more We develop a conceptual framework that connects biological heredity and organization. Heredity designates the cross-generation conservation of functional elements, defined as constraints subject to organizational closure. While hereditary objects are functional constituents of biological systems, any other entity that is stable across generations—and possibly involved in the recurrence of phenotypes—belongs to their environment. The central outcome of the organizational perspective consists in extending the scope of heredity beyond the genetic domain without merging it with the broad category of cross-generation stability. After discussing some implications, we conclude with a reflection on the relationship between stability and variation.

The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other ... more The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other elements, parts of organisms’ environments. The literature refers to the trans-generational reconstruction of these parts in terms of environmental or ecological inheritance . This article’s main objective is to clarify the different meanings of "environmental inheritance," to underline so far unnoticed theoretical difficulties associated to this polysemous notion and to consequently argue that inheritance, even when extended, should be theoretically distinguished from trans-generational environmental stability. After disentangling the different meanings of environmental inheritance, I underline that studies dealing with this concept place themselves in the wake of earlier contributions about biological environment and elaborate on the role of organisms in the determination of their relevant developmental and selective surroundings. This leads me to question the legitimacy of t...

Biological Theory, May 5, 2022

In this article the funding from the ANR EnviroBioSoc Project (Grant 19-CES26-0018-01 of the Fren... more In this article the funding from the ANR EnviroBioSoc Project (Grant 19-CES26-0018-01 of the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche) was omitted. The original article has been corrected. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Quarterly Review of Biology, Dec 1, 2015

Dialogue

RésuméLe concept de race a oscillé dès l'origine entre la sphère politico-sociale et la biolo... more RésuméLe concept de race a oscillé dès l'origine entre la sphère politico-sociale et la biologie. Si les perspectives sociales ont été dominantes dans la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, une nouvelle forme de naturalisation semble émerger à l’ère de l’épigénétique. Dans cet article, je montre que la conception épigénétique de la race rappelle d'anciennes perspectives externalistes et engage à articuler naturalisme, environnementalisme et constructivisme biosocial. Je souligne qu'elle fait apparaître la race comme une propriété relationnelle, plastique et accidentelle, et les groupes raciaux comme des constructions bio-sociales historiquement contingentes.

médecine/sciences

L’extension du concept d’hérédité au-delà du tout génétique a fait l’objet de nombreux débats en ... more L’extension du concept d’hérédité au-delà du tout génétique a fait l’objet de nombreux débats en biologie de l’évolution, mais elle a été relativement ignorée dans le champ de la biomédecine. L’objectif de cet article prospectif est de souligner les conséquences potentielles d’une vision renouvelée de l’hérédité sur la théorie médicale, notamment sur le concept de maladie héréditaire, ainsi que de mettre en évidence certains enjeux pratiques et sociaux connexes.

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 2020

Biological Theory, 2020

The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other ... more The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other elements, parts of organisms' environments. The literature refers to the trans-generational reconstruction of these parts in terms of environmental or ecological inheritance. This article's main objective is to clarify the different meanings of "environmental inheritance," to underline so far unnoticed theoretical difficulties associated to this polysemous notion and to consequently argue that inheritance, even when extended, should be theoretically distinguished from trans-generational environmental stability. After disentangling the different meanings of environmental inheritance, I underline that studies dealing with this concept place themselves in the wake of earlier contributions about biological environment and elaborate on the role of organisms in the determination of their relevant developmental and selective surroundings. This leads me to question the legitimacy of the category shift operated by niche inheritance proponents-from environment to inheritance-and to explain why the very concept of inherited environment shows important and so far unnoticed theoretical limitations (theoretical redundancy and theoretical inconsistency). In this context, I assert the necessity to distinguish two related but different research programs: the construction of a finer-grained theory of environment and the elaboration of an extended theory of inheritance.

Genetica

The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in th... more The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in the wake of late 19th century studies about heredity. In this paper, we provide a conceptual analysis that highlights that the G-P distinction was grounded on three pillars: observability, transmissibility, and causality. Originally, the genotype is the non-observable and transmissible cause of the phenotype, which is its observable and non-transmissible effect. We argue that the current developments of biology have called the validity of such pillars into question. First, molecular biology has unveiled the putative material substrate of the genotype (qua DNA), making it an observable object. Second, numerous findings on nongenetic heredity suggest that some phenotypic traits can be directly transmitted. Third, recent organicist approaches to biological phenomena have emphasized the reciprocal causality between parts of a biological system, which notably applies to the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. As a consequence, we submit that the G-P distinction has lost its general validity, although it can still apply to specific situations. This calls for forging new frameworks and concepts to better describe heredity and development.

Cahiers philosophiques, 2019

Dans cet article, j’interroge les differents roles ayant ete joues par les metaphores dans les et... more Dans cet article, j’interroge les differents roles ayant ete joues par les metaphores dans les etudes consacrees a l’heredite biologique. Je soutiens plus precisement que ces roles ont eu une incidence significative sur le statut epistemologique d’un concept cle des sciences du vivant. A travers un bref parcours historique, je montre que la notion d’heredite biologique a oscille, depuis son introduction en medecine et en physiologie, entre theorie et metaphore. J’affirme en particulier que les recentes etudes sur l’heredite dite etendue mobilisent des metaphores non assumees et ramenent ainsi subtilement l’heredite biologique dans le champ des concepts metaphoriques1.

Genetica, 2022

The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in th... more The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in the wake of late 19th century studies about heredity. In this paper, we provide a conceptual analysis that highlights that the G-P distinction was grounded on three pillars: observability, transmissibility, and causality. Originally, the genotype is the non-observable and transmissible cause of the phenotype, which is its observable and non-transmissible effect. We argue that the current developments of biology have called the validity of such pillars into question. First, molecular biology has unveiled the putative material substrate of the genotype (qua DNA), making it an observable object. Second, numerous findings on nongenetic heredity suggest that some phenotypic traits can be directly transmitted. Third, recent organicist approaches to biological phenomena have emphasized the reciprocal causality between parts of a biological system, which notably applies to the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. As a consequence, we submit that the G-P distinction has lost its general validity, although it can still apply to specific situations. This calls for forging new frameworks and concepts to better describe heredity and development.

Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Vrin. © Vrin. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La r... more Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Vrin. © Vrin. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.

Lato Sensu, Revue de la Société de philosophie des sciences, 2016

Epigenetics, 2019

The conference 'The Many Faces of Epigenetics: Multidisciplinary Perspectives "over" Genetics' wa... more The conference 'The Many Faces of Epigenetics: Multidisciplinary Perspectives "over" Genetics' was held in Oxford (6-8 December 2017) and offered a valuable window into the domain of Epigenetics and its promises. The workshop revealed that, among a wealth of discourses about Epigenetics, it is not so easy to decipher which discourses are to be trusted. Because Epigenetics is a rather old notion that has generated many debates and promises, defining precisely what has changed and where we are currently is a challenge in itself. Interestingly, the conference allowed debates beyond statements such as 'If you don't know the cause, you say it's epigenetic' (Deichmann 2016), pointing out that the lack of a precise definition of Epigenetics was no hindrance to the discussions. Finally, it highlighted the grounds of (dis)agreement among communities of natural and social scientists; but eventually the discussions showed that epigenetic tools open the path to new topics and challenges that are awaiting us.

New Genetics and Society, 2019

Looking at the new and often disputed science of epigenetics, we examined the challenges faced by... more Looking at the new and often disputed science of epigenetics, we examined the challenges faced by scientists when they communicate scientific research to the public. We focused on the use of metaphors to illustrate notions of epigenetics and genetics. We studied the “encoding” by epigeneticists and “decoding” in focus groups with diverse backgrounds. We observed considerable overlap in the dominant metaphors favored by both researchers and the lay public. However, the groups differed markedly in their interpretations of which metaphors aided understanding or not. We conclude by discussing the role of metaphors and their interpretations in the context of a shift from pre-deterministic genomic metaphors to more active, dynamic and nuanced epigenetic metaphors. These reflections on the choice of metaphors and differences in encoding/decoding are important for science communication and scientific boundary-maintenance.

Biological Theory, 2015

Basque Country (San Sebastián). This year's meeting was directed principally by Werner Callebaut ... more Basque Country (San Sebastián). This year's meeting was directed principally by Werner Callebaut (KLI) and Giovanni Boniolo (European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan). The seminar focused on ''ontological issues in the life sciences,'' a theme that deserves some general comment. For much of the twentieth century, and perhaps still to some extent today, the notion that there would be ontological issues in the life sciences might have sounded strange. Ontology has traditionally been conceived as an area of pure philosophy far removed from the concerns and the possible contributions of the empirical sciences. Conversely, it would seem that any issues that might arise in the life sciences should be resolvable from within, rather than calling for philosophical or ontological intervention. This methodological division partly reflects the strict partition between philosophy and science that was embedded in the old positivistic philosophy of science of Carnap, Neurath, and others belonging to the Vienna Circle. Several developments have contributed to the erosion of this

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2019

We develop a conceptual framework that connects biological heredity and organization. Heredity de... more We develop a conceptual framework that connects biological heredity and organization. Heredity designates the cross-generation conservation of functional elements, defined as constraints subject to organizational closure. While hereditary objects are functional constituents of biological systems, any other entity that is stable across generations—and possibly involved in the recurrence of phenotypes—belongs to their environment. The central outcome of the organizational perspective consists in extending the scope of heredity beyond the genetic domain without merging it with the broad category of cross-generation stability. After discussing some implications, we conclude with a reflection on the relationship between stability and variation.

The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other ... more The concept of biological inheritance has recently been extended so as to integrate, among other elements, parts of organisms’ environments. The literature refers to the trans-generational reconstruction of these parts in terms of environmental or ecological inheritance . This article’s main objective is to clarify the different meanings of "environmental inheritance," to underline so far unnoticed theoretical difficulties associated to this polysemous notion and to consequently argue that inheritance, even when extended, should be theoretically distinguished from trans-generational environmental stability. After disentangling the different meanings of environmental inheritance, I underline that studies dealing with this concept place themselves in the wake of earlier contributions about biological environment and elaborate on the role of organisms in the determination of their relevant developmental and selective surroundings. This leads me to question the legitimacy of t...