Rice Science Cafe: What fruit flies tell us about how genes shape the social environment

Rice University – Wiess School of Natural Sciences presents Rice Science Café –  What fruit flies tell us about how genes shape the social environment. Tuesday, January 5 at 6:30pm at Black Labrador Pub, Churchill Room, 4100 Montrose Blvd.

FEATURING:
Julia Saltz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences
Rice University

You are who you “friend”: What fruit flies tell us about how genes shape the social environment

What makes individuals unique?

We often think of our personalities as being the product of “nature” or “nurture.” Yet, psychologists have long recognized that genes influencing behavior can also influence our social environments, i.e., who we interact with and how other individuals treat us.

In this framework, “nature” and “nurture” are not really separate at all.

At our next Science Café, Dr. Saltz will present these ideas, synthesizing the animal and human behavior literature. She will discuss her work testing these ideas in a manipulative experimental way using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

Using flies, she has begun to get a better understanding of how genes and environments orchestrate social behavior.

The Rice Science Café is a meeting where for the price of a cup of coffee or tea, a glass of wine or beer, anyone can come explore and debate the latest ideas in science and technology.

A science café’s casual meeting place, plain language, and inclusive conversation create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for people with no science background. A scientist gives a brief presentation on an interesting topic in their area of expertise to kick off the discussion.