Understanding Innovation Through Exaptation

This book explores the role of exaptation in diverse areas of life, with examples ranging from biology to economics, social sciences and architecture. The concept of exaptation, introduced in evolutionary biology by Gould and Vrba in 1982, describes the possibility that already existing traits can be exploited for new purposes throughout the evolutionary process. Edited by three active scholars in the fields of biology, physics and economics, the book presents an interdisciplinary collection of expert viewpoints illustrating the importance of exaptation for interpreting  current reality in various fields of investigation. Using the lenses of exaptation, the contributing authors show how to view the overall macroscopic landscape as comprising many disciplines, all working in unity within a single complex system. 

This book is the first to discuss exaptation in both hard and soft disciplines and highlights the role of this concept in understanding the birth of innovation by identifying  key elements and ideas. It also offers a comprehensive guide to the emerging interdisciplinary field of exaptation, provides didactic explanations of the basic concepts, and avoids excessive jargon and heavy formalism. Its target audience includes graduate students in physics, biology, mathematics, economics, psychology and architecture; it will also appeal to established researchers in the humanities who wish to explore or enter this new science-driven interdisciplinary field.

Caterina La Porta is professor of General Pathology at the University of Milan, member of the steering committee of the Center for Complexity and Biosystems and is currently visiting professor at LMU. She graduated in medicine at  University of Milan and then obtained a Ph. D. in physiology from the same university. In 2018, she co-founded the startup ComplexData where she serves as CEO. During her scientific career, Prof. La Porta published more than 120 papers in international journals mainly on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, receiving thousands of citations. In the past ten years, she shifted her interest to quantitative biology and network medicine. Prof. La Porta was selected as one of the 100 most important female scientists in Italy and was visiting scientist in many universities around the world, including MIT, Cornell University, Aalto University, Rice University, the ENS Paris and the Weizmann Institute of Science. Prof. La Porta has a long track record of public outreach activities, including the organization of several editions of the EU Researcher’s night, and is involved in many other science dissemination activities.

Stefano Zapperi isprofessor of theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of Milano, coordinator of the Center for Complexity and Biosystems, and is currently visiting professor at LMU and FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg.  He graduated in physics at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and received his Ph. D. in physics from Boston University. Prof. Zapperi in an expert in the statistical physics of complex systems and has contributed to the fields of materials science, biophysics and systems biology. He published more than 200 scientific papers and his most notable contributions include the theory of the Barkhausen noise in magnets, the statistical physics of plasticity and fracture. Prof. Zapperi is the recipient of numerous awards including the Marie Curie Excellence Award, the Humboldt Research Award, the Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. He was elected fellow of the American Physical Society and named Finland Distinguished Professor by the Academy of Finland.

Luciano Pilotti is professor of Strategic Management and Marketing at the University of Milan’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy and a former professor at the Faculty of Statistics, University of Padua. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration and Management Sciences from the University of Venice in 1987, conducted research on Strategic Management and Marketing at Bocconi University of Milan (1984–1997), and served as a Visiting Professor at Durham Business School, UK (2008–2013). He has published numerous books and articles on the topic of innovationin international journals for the general public, and has organized two international workshops on exaptation (2009 and 2018).