Professor Suegene Noh\u2019s talk, titled \u201cHow Current Genomes are Shaped by Evolutionary Pasts\u201d, 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\u2019s 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, \u201cgenes induced by social conflict show evidence of positive selection\u201d. 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 \u201cnature\u201d, but also very much by the \u201cnurture\u201d of life.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Applying Professor Noh\u2019s conclusion to a more broad-spectrum analysis of society, I would argue that genes that are induced by social conflict would be desired in our current world. This shows an evolutionary advantage to those who had experienced a form of social conflict, and I would suggest that our world today and constantly filled with conflict. Those who are able to experience and overcome conflict in the processes of resolution formation and or compromise are those most successful in practice. In regards to developmental psychology, those who are trained in conflict resolution and who have the most experience in social situations often are those who become most successful working in a workplace environment with others. Gene expression that results from social conflict exposure is influential evidence that the cultural advantages that come with such exposure are vital and evolutionarily relevant.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This topic directly relates to the importance of the past in understanding new discoveries in science. Evolutionary relationships to gene selection and expression is an area of genetics that particularly illuminates the ways in which other areas of life, such as social involvement and conflict exposure, affect macro-level ideas like characteristic selection and natural fitness. In understanding what characteristics or qualities might allow for organism fitness in a small-scale petri dish, (like in Professor Noh\u2019s lab at Colby) we can extrapolate these findings to large-scale settings like all of society as a whole. Therefore, scientific research and funding becomes vital in understanding how human interactions and behaviors change over time, and thus putting an emphasis on the \u201cway things used to be\u201d for such aspects of human life. History and the past are put into a vital role in analyzing biological adaptations and understanding what \u201cfitness\u201d for humans really would mean in today\u2019s society; whether that is here at Colby or beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Professor Suegene Noh\u2019s talk, titled \u201cHow Current Genomes are Shaped by Evolutionary Pasts\u201d, 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\u2019s ways of thinking, describing, and understanding biological basis of change. Specifically, Professor Noh … <\/p>\n