Dr. Loren McClenachan’s discussion on the environmental changes occurring in marine ecosystems was both shocking and intriguing. I feel as though these conversations are happening in regards to environmental change, global warming, and governmental interventions (or lack there of) to prevent such changes, but Dr. McClenachan’s talk highlighted aspects of these drastic changes that are not commonly discussed, and to her emphasis, should be. She specifically discussed the role of society and social understandings on environmental policy and behavior in practice.
Social Conflict and Gene Expression
Professor Suegene Noh’s talk, titled “How Current Genomes are Shaped by Evolutionary Pasts”, acted as a catalyst between the disciplines of genetics and biology in conjunction with the humanities. Much of her discussion explored how science and technology can inform our culture’s ways of thinking, describing, and understanding biological basis of change. Specifically, Professor Noh explored the ways in which social involvement of social pressures influence the biological selections for or against certain organisms, or specific traits expressed by those organisms. This discussion specifically has allowed me to question the influence of social involvement on gene expression. As concluded in her talk, “genes induced by social conflict show evidence of positive selection”. This talk showed vast similarities to a course I currently take that focuses on the connections between biology, society, and addictive behaviors. I am thinking about the importance of social interaction, and in this case conflict, on processing ability and acceptance into society. The knowledge that the brain controls many biological substrates of gene expression that directly correspond to behavior allows me to believe that gene expression is influenced heavily both in regards to the “nature”, but also very much by the “nurture” of life.
Removing Racialization from Informal Conversation
In personal reflection of professor Projit Bihari Mukharji’s presentation, I am thinking a lot about the cultural significance of ethnicity and race. Previously in anthropology courses, I have been fascinated and absorbed by the construct of race. The quote, “race is imagined, but not imaginary”, has always influenced my beliefs towards how race is discussed in our modern world. It took many years for me to understand how race is not a scientific method of separating the human population into separate boxes. Projit Bihari Mukharji’s talk was especially powerful because it combined my two intellectual passions: the science of genetics and cultural anthropology.
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