scholarly journals The Social Evolving: Sociogenomics on the Wings of Social Insects

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-117
Author(s):  
Sainath Suryanarayanan

Abstract This paper excavates the epistemological and ontological foundations of a rapidly emerging field called sociogenomics in relation to the development of social insects as models of social behavior. Its center-stage is “the genome,” where social and environmental information and genetic variation interact to influence social behavior through dynamic shifts in gene expression across multiple bodies and time-scales. With the advent of whole-genome sequencing technology, comparative genomics, and computational tools for mining patterns of association across widely disparate datasets, social insects are being experimented with to identify genetic networks underlying autism, novelty-seeking and aggression evolutionarily shared with humans. Drawing on the writings of key social insect biologists, and historians and philosophers of science, I investigate how the historical development of social insect research on wasps, ants and bees shape central approaches in sociogenomics today, in particular, with regards to shifting understandings of “the individual” in relation to “the social.”

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alžbeta Talarovičová ◽  
Lucia Olexová ◽  
Lucia Kršková

AbstractThe aim of our study was to investigate the effects of a small therapeutic animal (TA, guinea pig) on the social behavior of nine autistic children. The social contacts of the autistic children were evaluated by a descriptive method of direct observation that was performed without (in period one) and with (in period two) the presence of a TA. In period one, contacts with an unfamiliar person (UP) and acquaintances (A) were registered; in period two, contacts with the acquaintances and the TA were registered. The frequency of contacts of autistic children with their acquaintances significantly increased in the presence of the TA (P < 0.001). The frequency of contacts with the TA was significantly higher than the frequency of contacts with the UP (P < 0.001). The form of the autistic children’s contacts with A, with the UP, and with the TA was individually dependent, and the presence of the TA changed the characteristics of contacts with A. Our results indicate that the presence of a small TA can positively influence the quantity and quality of the social behavior of autistic children and that the characteristics of social contacts were dependent on the individual.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom N. Walker ◽  
William O. H. Hughes

Social insects have evolved a suite of sophisticated defences against parasites. In addition to the individual physiological immune response, social insects also express ‘social immunity’ consisting of group-level defences and behaviours that include allogrooming. Here we investigate whether the social immune response of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior reacts adaptively to the virulent fungal parasite, Metarhizium anisopliae . We ‘immunized’ mini-nests of the ants by exposing them twice to the parasite and then compared their social immune response with that of naive mini-nests that had not been experimentally exposed to the parasite. Ants allogroomed individuals exposed to the parasite, doing this both for those freshly treated with the parasite, which were infectious but not yet infected, and for those treated 2 days previously, which were already infected but no longer infectious. We found that ants exposed to the parasite received more allogrooming in immunized mini-nests than in naive mini-nests. This increased the survival of the freshly treated ants, but not those that were already infected. The results thus indicate that the social immune response of this leaf-cutting ant is adaptive, with the group exhibiting a greater and more effective response to a parasite that it has previously been exposed to.


1977 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 963-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
PB Bell

The social behavior of 3T3 cells and their polynoma virus-transformed derivative (Py3T3 cells) was examined by time-lapse cinemicrography in order to determine what factors are responsible for the marked differences in the patterns formed by the two cell lines in culture. Contrary to expectations, both cell types have been found to exhibit contact inhibition of cell locomotion. Therefore, the tendency of 3T3 cells to form monolayers and of Py3T3 cells to form crisscrossed multilayers cannot be explained on the basis of the presence versus the absence of contact inhibition. Morevover, with the exception of cell division control, the social behavior of the two cell types is qualitively similar. Both exhibit cell underlapping and, after contact between lamelliopodia, both show inhibition of locomotory activity and adhesion formation. Neither cell type was observed to migrate over the surface of another cell. The two cell types do show quantitative differences in the frequency of underlapping, the frequency with which contact results in inhibition of locomotion, and the proportion of the cell margin that adheres to the substratum. The increased frequency pf Py3T3 underlapping is correlated with the reduced frequency of substratum adhesions, which in turn favors underlapping. On the basis of these observations, it is concluded that the differences in culture patterns are the result of differences in the shapes of the individual cells, such that underlapping, and hence crisscrossing, is favored in Py3T3 cell interactions and discouraged in 3T3 cells.


Author(s):  
Р.Я. Фидарова ◽  
И.А. Кайтова

Суть методологического подхода Коста Хетагурова к проблемам культурноисторического развития осетинского народа в том, что он рассматривал общественное бытие и общественное сознание осетин как взаимосвязанные и взаимообусловленные феномены, составляющие единое целое, целостную систему, формирующую фундаментальную основу реалистического типа мышления, преследующего цель в удивительно жизненных, созидаемых им образах, глубоко и основательно раскрыть эстетическую специфику философского, духовнонравственного, культурноисторического освоения горцами объективного мира, мира их национальной действительности. Теоретическим инструментарием при этом для Коста является метод восхождения от абстрактного, включающего в данном случае в себя такие компоненты духовной культуры, как национальный менталитет, обычаи, обряды, традиции, Агъдау как нравственный кодекс жизни горцев, к конкретному, т.е. к судьбе и характеру отдельного человека, члена горского общества носителя его родовых качеств и родимых пятен . Кроме того, в состав теоретического инструментария Коста, при формировании им реалистического типа художественного мышления, включаются и принцип объективности, позволяющий ему анализировать противоречивый характер как действительности, так и характер отдельного человека принцип развития, помогающий Коста учитывать диалектический характер горского бытия принцип преемственности, давший возможность поэту глубоко осмыслить органические связи прошлого и настоящего. Ну а системноисторический подход помогал Коста выявить наиболее существенные, постоянные, т.е. константные связи явлений в общественной жизни и общественном сознании, тогда как детерминизм давал возможность обнажать их объективную зависимость от социальноисторических и природногеографических факторов. Столь богатый теоретический инструментарий помогал Коста глубоко и основательно осмысливать метафизические проблемы жизни горского общества. И это явилось основой формирования его реалистического типа мышления, способного дать удивительно органичный, объективноконцептуальный, художественноэстетический анализ критического состояния мира . А из данного анализа логически следовал убедительный вывод, призывающий народ к беспощадной борьбе за свободу, равенство и братство людей, а именно: мир враждебен человеку, губит его физически и развращает нравственно. И, следовательно, в данных социальноисторических обстоятельствах человек обречен на гибель, если не станет на защиту своей жизни и свободы. При решении столь сложной художественноэстетической задачи Коста умело использовал осетинскую мифологию как важнейший компонент структуры реалистического типа мышления, основы которого он же и заложил в формирующейся осетинской литературе. The essence of Khetagurovs methodological approach to the problems of cultural and historical development of the Ossetian people is that he considered the social existence and social consciousness of Ossetians as interrelated and interdependent phenomena making up a single whole, an integral system that forms the fundamental basis of a realistic type of thinking, pursuing the goal in a surprisingly vital, created by them images, deeply and thoroughly reveal the aesthetic specificity of the philosophical, spiritual, moral, cultural and historical development of the highlanders of the objective world, the world of their national reality. The theoretical tools for Kosta is the method of ascent from the abstract, which in this case includes such components of spiritual culture as the national mentality, customs, rituals, traditions, Agdau as a moral code of life of the highlanders to the specific, i.e. to the fate and character of the individual, a member of the mountain society the carrier of his generic qualities and birthmarks. In addition, the theoretical tools of Kosta, when forming a realistic type of artistic thinking, include the principle of objectivity, allowing him to analyze the contradictory nature of both reality and the nature of the individual the principle of development, which helps Kosta to take into account the dialectical nature of mountain life the principle of continuity, which gave the poet a deep understanding of the organic connections of the past and the present. But the systemhistorical approach helped Kosta to identify the most significant, permanent, i.e. constant connections of phenomena in public life and public consciousness, while determinism made it possible to expose their objective dependence on sociohistorical and naturalgeographical factors. Such a wealth of theoretical tools helped Kosta to think deeply and thoroughly about the metaphysical problems of mountain society. And this was the basis for the formation of his realistic type of thinking that can give a surprisingly organic, objectively conceptual, artistic and aesthetic analysis of the critical state of the world. And from this analysis logically followed a convincing conclusion, calling people to ruthless struggle for freedom, equality and brotherhood of people, namely: the world is hostile to man, destroys it physically and corrupts morally. And, therefore, in these sociohistorical circumstances, a person is doomed to death if he does not protect his life and freedom. In solving such a complex artistic and aesthetic problem Kosta skillfully used Ossetian mythology as an important component of the structure of the realistic type of thinking, the foundations of which he laid in the emerging Ossetian literature.


Author(s):  
Vinogradova A.I. ◽  
Melnikova O.D. ◽  
Paskhalskaya Y.V. ◽  
Yaskov E.S. ◽  
Gorodischeva A.N.

The specificity of the individuals and groups interaction in society affects the social structure and dynamics of social mechanisms, necessitates studying the reasons for changing the behavior of the parties involved. In recent years, under the influence of various factors that cause an increase in tension in the society life, such as differentiation according to several criteria, expansion of the sphere of interaction between the individual and society, there has been a significant increase in deviations in the personal development and younger generations, behavior which is most often reflected in the strong desire manifestation dominance over the weak. One of the most complex and poorly studied forms of social behavior is bullying, manifested by both individuals and entire groups of people. It becomes necessary to analyze the data analysis patterns and methods, concentrating on the causes predicting, forms that determine the consequences specificity of the bullying model implementation as a destructive form of the socio-cultural environment interaction. The processes digitalization implies the digitalization of data collection and the improvement of analytics for unstable systems associated with the human factor. As a result of the study, there was determined the need for the cultural environment formation in conditions of a certain nature, namely, the creation of a system that would carry out cultural regulation of social interactions and communications. The cultural environment reacts to changes in society, social consciousness changes, ensures the individuals collective life by regulating their social behavior. Separately, it should be noted the importance of changes in this area at the legislative level, which will increase the importance of this aspect and make adjustments at a subconscious level.


Behaviour ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 55-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Bovet

AbstractA group of three or four long-tailed field mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) living in a large terrarium was observed for three consecutive months. A comparative analysis of their social behavior and temporal distribution of activity shows that there was a simple direct correlation between the number of encounters and the amount of time two or more mice spent together at the surface of the terrarium. It also shows an alternation of social and asocial periods, each of those lasting one or several weeks. In a social period, encounters were frequent, the mice spent much time together and were rarely seen to be active alone. The individual activity patterns were concordant, which contributed to the high amounts of simultaneous activity and of encounters. But in an asocial period, encounters were scarce, little time was spent together and solitary mice were often seen; the socially top ranking animal restricted its activity to certain times of the day and the three other mice to other times of the day, which contributed to the low amount of simultaneous activity and to the low frequency of encounters.


Author(s):  
Nursen AYDIN

In this article, social network analysis SNA is defined and historical development process is explained. A comprehensive literature search has been conducted for this purpose. SAA is a powerful method that centralizes individuals and their relations, in that the effect of the individual on the social network can be uncovered and the network of individual groups can be evaluated holistically. SNA shows the structural gaps and social capital in institutions, and focuses managers' attention on critical informal networks. Evaluating strategically important networks within an organization, make "invisible" groups visible in the interaction and allows them to work with key groups to facilitate effective collaboration.


Animals ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Kristyn R. Vitale

Despite the diversity of social situations in which cats live, the degree to which free-ranging cats (FRCs) are social is still debated. The aim of this review is to explore the literature on the social behavior of FRCs. A search of two major databases revealed that observations of intraspecies and interspecies social interactions have been conducted. The intraspecific social dynamics of FRCs differ based on group of cats surveyed. Some groups display strong social bonds and preferential affiliations, while other groups are more loosely associated and display little to no social interaction. Factors impacting FRC conspecific interactions include cat body size, cat social rank, cat individuality, cat age, relationship to conspecific (kin/familiar), cat sex, level of human caretaking, presence of food, the health of the individual, or sexual status of conspecifics. Interspecies interactions also occur with humans and wildlife. The human’s sex and the weather conditions on the day of interaction have been shown to impact FRC social behavior. Interactions with wildlife were strongly linked to the timing of cat feeding events. These findings support the idea that FRCs are “social generalists” who display flexibility in their social behavior. The social lives of FRCs exist, are complex, and deserve further study.


1999 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Flament

This paper is concerned by a possible articulation between the diversity of individual opinions and the existence of consensus in social representations. It postulates the existence of consensual normative boundaries framing the individual opinions. A study by questionnaire about the social representations of the development of intelligence gives support to this notion.


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