Suegene Noh’s lecture about the social interactions of chimeric social amoeba populations gives us important insight into just how important social interactions are. Dr. Noh presented her research on how competition among amoeba effects their genes and pushed them into new directions evolutionary. She talks about chimera, or organism composed of genetically different cells, and its effect on evolution on these organisms. Dr. Noh concluded that there is evidence for inducible adaptation for social conflict, or that conflict between two genetically different organisms can cause evolution. She explores the symbiotic relationships between these amoebas and translates that to microbes in general. Her findings are important because they shed light on the inner workings of adaptive evolution at a small level. One can apply these findings to other examples of microbial symbiosis, like the bacteria found in human digestive systems. This conclusion can be viewed as a microcosm can be transposed onto larger organisms and social structures. Dr. Noh’s work, along with all of evolutionary biology, is the scientific embodiment of how the past shapes the future.
The importance of microbial symbiosis is larger than we ever acknowledge. Our whole environment is composed on microscopic organisms that are the base of most ecosystems. Our bodies function so efficiently due to these bacteria who keep us running smoothly. This was the first conclusion I made from her lecture, that without the harmony that exists at a molecular level, it would be impossible to develop multicellular life, and especially have such intricate ecologies like the ones that exist on Earth today. Our whole world is shaped by these small interactions, which we have built the foundations of life upon.
If we apply chimera on a macro sense, we can see how it applies to our countries, territories made up from a patchwork of races, ethnicities, and ultimately genetics. These same principles found in Dr. Noh’s research can be applied to human interactions. We should use the conflicts we have experienced in the past in an evolutionary manner, working to build upon our existing relationships and social skills. On large and small scales, this understanding of how conflict results in growth is essential to the progress of our human race. If we learned to embrace chimera in the real world, then could solve most our conflicts.
As we have seen throughout the whole lecture series, the past truly shapes the present. I find Dr. Noh’s lecture especially important because it gives us mechanisms to apply past knowledge to future experiences. Her work proves that nothing is born without conflict, and that sometimes we need conflict to evolve. It emphasizes the essential of teamwork and symbiosis, and shows us how reliant we are on each other, and how reliant we are on the building blocks of life – cells.