Registration is now open for the 14th ELSI International Symposium, “Individuality Across the Biosphere.” The symposium will explore how individuality—often assumed to be a clear-cut concept—emerges, evolves, and reorganises across biological and planetary contexts. From genes to genomes, from replicators to multicellular organisms, individuality appears at multiple scales. It has likely been reinvented many times throughout the history of life. This interdisciplinary symposium will bring together perspectives from evolutionary biology, artificial life, statistical physics, information theory, and planetary science to re-examine individuality as both a conceptual and biological phenomenon.

Key topics include:

Major transitions and multi-level evolution

Planetary and geochemical influences on the emergence of individuals

Experimental, synthetic, and artificial life systems

Philosophical and theoretical perspectives on defining and measuring individuality

The symposium is open to researchers across disciplines, with opportunities for poster presentations, and aftershops discussion sessions.

Dates: Wednesday-Friday, 7-9 January 2026

Registration and more info: https://sympo14.elsi.jp/

Location: Digital Hall, Institute of Science Tokyo, Ookayama Campus, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan