Publications
Books: monographs and edited volumes
-Hoquet Thierry & MERLIN Francesca (eds) [alphabetic order] (2014), Précis de philosophie de la biologie, Paris: Vuibert.
-MERLIN Francesca (2013), Mutations et aléas. Le hasard dans la théorie de l’évolution, Paris: Hermann. Préface de Jean Gayon.
Edited volumes
-Giroux Elodie, Fayet Yohan & MERLIN Francesca (eds) (2023) Integrative approaches in environmental health: Epistemological and practical issues, Palgrave-Springer.
-MERLIN Francesca & Laurent Loison (eds) (2021), Critical edition of Jacques Monod's unpublished book Cybernétique enzymatique, Collection "Histoire des sciences et des techniques", Editions Matériologiques.
-Pontarotti Gaëlle, Dussault Antoine, MERLIN Francesca (eds) (2021-2022), Thematic Issue: "Conceptualizing the Environment in Natural Sciences", Biological Theory, Springer, online first.
-MERLIN Francesca & Huneman Philippe (eds) (2018), Philosophie, histoire, biologie. Mélanges offerts à Jean Gayon, Paris: Editions Matériologiques.
-Barberousse Anouk & MERLIN Francesca (eds) [alphabetic order] (2016), Special Issue 'Actes du Congrès de la SPS 2014', Lato Sensu, 3 (1).
Articles in peer-reviewed international journals
-MERLIN Francesca, Livio Ribolis-Sasco [alphabetic order] (2021) "Inheritance as evolved and evolving physiological processes", Acta Biotheoretica, 68: 417-433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-020-09396-7
-Barberousse Anouk, Longy Françoise, MERLIN Francesca, Ruphy Stéphanie [alphabetic order] (2020) "Natural kinds: a new synthesis", Theoria. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 35(3): 365-387. https://doi.org/10.1387/theoria.21066
-Nicoglou Antonine & MERLIN Francesca (2017) 'Epigenetics: A way to bridge the gap between biological fields', Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Part C, 66: 73-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2017.10.002
-MERLIN Francesca & Livio Riboli Sasco [alphabetic order] (2017), 'Mapping Biological Transmission: An Empirical, Dynamical, and Evolutionary Approach', Acta Biotheoretica, 65: 97-115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-017-9305-8
-MERLIN Francesca (2015), 'Monod's concept of chance: its diversity and relevance today", Comptes Rendus de Biologie de l'Académie des Sciences, 338 (6): 406-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2015.03.004
-Drouet Isabelle & MERLIN Francesca [alphabetic order] (2015), ‘The Propensity Interpretation of Fitness and the Propensity Interpretation of Probability’, Erkenntnis, 80 (3): 457-468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-014-9681-2
-MERLIN Francesca (2010), ‘Evolutionary Chance Mutation: A Defense of the Modern Synthesis’ Consensus View’, Philosophy & Theory in Biology (now called Philosophy, Theory, and Practice in Biology), 2 (3): http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/ptb.6959004.0002.003
-MERLIN Francesca (2010), ‘On Griffiths and Gray’s concept of expanded and diffused inheritance’, Biological Theory, 5(3): 206-215 In Barberousse Anouk, MERLIN Francesca & Pradeu Thomas [ordre alphabétique] “Developmental Systems Theory, Thematic Section”, 5: 206-215. https://doi.org/10.1162/BIOT_a_00044
JArticles in peer-reviewed national (French) journals
-MERLIN Francesca (2016), 'Le hasard dans la théorie de l'évolution', In Kupiec J-H, Leduc M, Morange M (eds), "Le hasard", Special issue of Raison Présente 198: 57-70.
-MERLIN Francesca (2011), ‘Le « hasard évolutionnaire » de toute mutation génétique, ou la vision consensuelle de la Synthèse Moderne’, Bulletin d’histoire et d’épistémologie des sciences du vivant, 18 (1) : 79-108.
Chapters in edited volumes (in English)
-MERLIN Francesca (2021), "Two epistemic traditions in epigenetics: a comparison", In José Luis Cómbita & Carlos Eduardo Maldonado, Biología Teórica y Complejidad, Universidad El Bosque Edition, p. 72-97.
-Casali Marco & MERLIN Francesca (2020), "Rethinking the role of chance in the explanation of cell differentiation", Levine H, Kulkarni P, Jolly MK & Nanjundiah V (eds), Phenotypic Switching: Implications in Biology and Medicine, Elsevier, p. 23-51.
-MERLIN Francesca (2017), 'Limited Extended Inheritance', In Huneman P & Walsh D (eds.), Challenges to Evolutionary Theory. Adaptation, Development, and Inheritance, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 263-277.
-MERLIN Francesca (2016), 'Weak randomness at the origin of biological variation: the case of genetic mutations', In Grant R & Pence CH (eds), Chance in Evolution, Chicago University Press, p. 176-195.
-MERLIN Francesca (2015), ‘Developmental noise : explaining the specific heterogeneity of individual organisms’, In Braillard P-A & Malaterre C (eds), How does Biology Explain? An Enquiry into the Diversity of Explanatory Patterns in the Life Sciences, History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences Series, Springer, p. 91-110.
-Malaterre Christophe & MERLIN Francesca [ordre alphabétique] (2015), ‘The (in)determinism of biological evolution: where does the stochastic character of evolutionary theory come from?’, In T Heams et al (eds), Handbook of Evolutionary Thinking in the Sciences, Springer.
Chapters in edited volumes (in French)
-Ligneul Romain & MERLIN Francesca [alphabetic order] (2018) 'Evolution et cognition', In Collins T, Tallon-Baudry C, Andler D (eds) La cognition. Du neurone à la société, Paris: Gallimard, p. 204-238.
-MERLIN Francesca (2014), 'L'hérédité au-delà du tout génétique : problèmes et enjeux', In Hoquet T & Merlin F (eds), Précis de philosophie de la biologie, Paris: Vuibert, p. 237-250.
-MERLIN Francesca (2009), ‘Pour une interprétation objective des probabilités dans les modèles stochastiques de l'expression génétique’, In Kupiec J-J et al (eds), Le hasard au cœur de la cellule. Probabilités, déterminisme, génétique, Syllepse, Paris, p.153-183. Edited again In J-J Kupiec et al (eds) (2011), Le hasard au cœur de la cellule. Probabilités, déterminisme, génétique, Paris, Éditions Matériologiques, p. 294.
-Malaterre Christophe & MERLIN Francesca [alphabetic order] (2009), ‘L’(in)déterminisme de l’évolution naturelle : quelles origines pour le caractère stochastique de la théorie de l’évolution ?’, In Heams T et al (eds), Les Mondes darwiniens. L’évolution de l’évolution, Paris: Syllepse, p.337-357.
Book reviews
-(2017) Curtis J (2014), Darwin's Dice: The Idea of Chance in the Thought of Charles Darwin, Oxford University Press - The multi-faceted idea of chance in Darwin's writings, Science and Education, 25(9), p.1159-1164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-016-9869-8
-(2015) Forterre P, D’Hendecourt L, Malaterre C, Maurel M (2013), De l’inerte au vivant. Une enquête scientifique et philosophique, Collection 360, La villebrûle, Paris - TECNOSCIENZA: Italian Journal of Science & Technology, 6 (2), p.176-181
-(2014) Christian Sachse (2011), Philosophie de la biologie. Enjeux et perspectives, Lausanne: Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes - History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 36 (1): 133-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-014-0012-3
-(2014), John T Bonner (2013), Randomness in Evolution, Princeton University Press - ‘Randomness, Not Selection, as the Driving Force of Microorganisms' Evolution’, Biological Theory 9, p.232-235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-014-0176-9
-(2012), Snit B Gissis & Eva Jablonka (eds), From Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology, 2011, The MIT Press - Reports of the National Center for Science and Education: http://reports.ncse.com/index.php/rncse/article/view/164/222).
Translations
-Godfrey Smith, P (2000), ‘The replicator in retrospect’, Biology and Philosophy 15, p. 403-423 - (2021) In Gayon J & Pradeu T (dir.), Philosophie de la biologie, collection « Textes clés », Paris: Vrin.
-Several papers on feminism and science - (forthcoming) In Ruphy S (dir.), Philosophie féministe des sciences, collection « Textes clés », Paris: Vrin.
Popularization of science
-MERLIN Francesca (2016), 'Pour une approche modérée de l'épigénétique', Tribune dans le cahier Science & Médecine, Le Monde, 24 février 2016.
-MERLIN Francesca (2016), Interview-Table ronde : 'Pourquoi Darwin est-il toujours d'actualité ?', L'Humanité, 15-16-17 janvier 2016.
-Malaterre Christophe & MERLIN Francesca (2009), ‘La part d’aléatoire dans l’évolution’, Pour la Science, n. 385, November 2009, p.68-74.
-MERLIN Francesca (2008), Interview : ‘Lamarck n’est pas de retour’, L’héritage Darwin, Les Dossiers de La Recherche, November-January 2008, p. 43.
Other
MERLIN Francesca, Nicoglou Antonine, Grunau Christoph, Danchin Etienne (2018) "Qu'est-ce que l'épigénétique ?" In D Joly & C Grunau (dir.) Prospective Epigénétique en écologie & évolution, Une prospective de l'Institut écologie et environnement, N. 8 - Novembre 2018, p. 19-23.
-Synthesis: MERLIN Francesca, Maury Stéphane, Grunau Christoph et al. (2017), L’épigénétique dans toutes ses dimensions, Prospectives de l’Institut d’écologie & environnement du CNRS, Compte-rendu des journées des 22, 23 et 24 février 2017, Bordeaux, Hors-série, p. 153-161.
-Entry: 'L'épigénétique et la théorie de l'évolution', with Laurent Loison, (2016) Encyclopedia Universalis.
-Entry: ‘Randomness and Chance’, In M Gargaud et al. (eds) (2011), Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Springer.
-Report: MERLIN Francesca, Nicholson Dan, Reiss Christian, Sojic Aleksandra & Witteven Joeri (2008), ‘Emergent philosophy of biology in Europe’, Biological Theory 3: 391-392. https://doi.org/10.1162/biot.2008.3.4.391
Work in progress
Submitted:
-MERLIN Francesca & Giroux Elodie (submitted, revision in progress) "Narratives in Exposomics: A Reversed Epistemic Determinism?", Special Issue "Postgenomic Determinism" directed by Jan Baedke & Azita Chillappoo, History and Philosophy of Life Sciences (HPLS)
-Casali Marco, MERLIN Francesca & Vianelli Alberto (submitted, evision in progress) “Dissecting stochasticity in the temporal progression of translation: biological and philosophical implications", Philosophy, Theory and Practice in Biology.
Work in progress:
-Chapter : “Chance in Science. The viewpoint of limited beings”, for Ranjan Ghosh (ed) Randomness, Chicago University Press.