__ EEvvoolluuttiioonn,, BBiioollooggyy & Society & Society Fall 2012 Newsletter of the ASA Section on Evolution, Biology & Society Volume 9, No. 2 In this issue: Chair 2012-2013 Remarks on Kiecolt, Aggen & Kendler Guang Guo, University of North and Hopcroft & Martin by François Carolina-Chapel Hill Nielsen New Publications & News of Section Past-Chair Members 2012-2013 Photographs from ASA of 2012 Jonathan H. Turner, UC-Riverside Section Book Award Winner Co-Chairs-Elect 2012-2013 Message from the Chair Tiimothy Criippen, Uniiversity of Mary Washington Guang Guo Richard Machalek, Uniiversity of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Wyomiing Secretary-Treasurer Our section of Evolution, Biology and 2010-2013 Society is a huge field including a variety of F. Scott Lewis, Penn-State Harrisburg exciting and fast-developing subareas. Over the past 12-15 years, I have worked in a Council Members subarea of society and genetics/genomics Marion Blute, University of Toronto at where we have tried to incorporate the Mississauga (2011-2014) advances in molecular genetics into sociological analysis. One of the sessions in Jeff Davis, California State University at the coming ASA will focus on this subarea. Long Beach (2011-2014) In this message from Chair, I will describe David Franks, Virginia Commonwealth two section sessions at the coming ASA University (2010-2013) meeting, remind you again of our constant task Colter Mitchell, Princeton of membership drive for our section, and University(2012-2015) provide the information on the section awards. Michael Shanahan, University of North In 2013, ASA will be in New York City Carolina at Chapel Hill (2010-2013) Our section day is the first day of the meetings, Susan Short, Brown University(2012-2015) which is double-edged. Our session(s) may get a lot of attention because of the first day and Newsletter editor and Webperson the location of New York City, but we are Rosemary L. Hopcroft, UNC-Charlotte allocated with only one session because of our www2.asanet.org/sectionevol/ small size. Michael Shanahan of UNC, Chapel Evolution, Biology and Society Vol. 9, No. 2 Fall 2012 - 2 – Hill will be the organizer for this session of This award is given to the best paper written “Social and Biological Forces.” by a graduate student over the last three years. The student must be a member of the We will use the time slot allocated for our section. Coauthored articles are acceptable, section business meeting for a second and as long as all authors are students. This award invited session entitled “Advances in Genomics carries a Analysis and its Potential Impact and Benefits $300 stipend, which is shared if there is more for Sociology.” Three invited speakers will each than one author. All nominations should be speak for 20 minutes and then questions, submitted to the chair of the committee by comments, and discussion will follow. I will be March 1, 2013. This award committee will be the organizer of this session. You are welcome chaired by Colter Mitchell of Michigan to send me suggestions about this section. ([email protected]) (chair), Francois Nielsen You will see more information on this matter ([email protected]), and Christophe from ASA. Chase-Dunn [[email protected]]. Membership Drive Recruiting more members is a constant ******** task for a small section like ours. By the end of September, 2012, the membership count for Evolution, Biology & Society is 174. Please consider talking to a few students about joining our section at the cost of $5/year. I have Congratulations to the noticed that we have 32 student members and 136 faculty members. In contrast, the section 2012 Section Award of Race, Gender and Class has 411 student Winner for members and 486 faculty members; the section of Culture has 438 student members Best Book: and 491 faculty members. The student members in our section represent a much David Franks lower proportion. We may be able to increase Neurosociology: the nexus between that proportion relatively easily. neuroscience and social psychology, Awards (2010 Springer Press) The section has two awards: 1. Best Book or Article for a Faculty Member. In 2013, this award will be given to a best article published over the last three years by a member of the section. The best article Let me know someone is reading this! committee for this year consists of the three same members as last year: Joan Huber [[email protected]] (chair), Robert McAulay If you have any comments, complaints [[email protected]], and Seth Abrutyn or suggestions, please email me at [[email protected]]. Please send [email protected] nominations to the committee chair by March 1, 2013. Self-nominations are accepted. 2. Best Article for a Graduate Student. ******** Evolution, Biology and Society Vol. 9, No. 2 Fall 2012 - 3 – Remarks on Kiecolt, Aggen and those associated with characteristics that vary between families such as social class or ethnic Kendler and on culture or “family values” have no impact Hopcroft and Martin* whatsoever on these two variables or their Presented at the association. However surprising this pattern of American Sociological Association meeting in results may appear to be, it has been found for Denver, CO. 20 Aug 2012. a multitude of traits: there is a substantial role of genes and a substantial role of non-shared François Nielsen environmental factors; when the role of shared August 24, 2012 environmental factors is nonzero, it is generally of a smaller magnitude than the role of genes Introduction (Freese 2008; Turkheimer 2000). There are several ways to classify issues Readers of this paper who have some related to the interface of biology and the familiarity with genetic research may recognize social sciences. One classification would the approach in the Kiecolt, Aggen and distinguish (1) issues related to the biological Kendler paper as the classic twin model of basis and evolution of universal human behavior genetics. They may have heard about behavior, what is usually referred to as (or be warned against) some of the difficulties evolutionary psychology or (using another term of the approach, particularly the need for the that maybe can now be rehabilitated) assumption that the environments of the twins sociobiology; (2) the biological basis of of both kinds (MZ and DZ) are equally similar. individual differences, or behavior genetics or In particular the classic twin design would (a better term) quantitative genetics; and (3) break down if MZ twins are treated more alike the exploration of the evolutionary analogy in than DZ twins and if the greater similarity of the case of cultural evolution, i.e., the evolution treatment causes greater similarity of the trait 1 of memes rather than genes, what might be in the MZ than in the DZ twins.1 They may called evolutionary sociology. The two papers also know that progress in molecular biology presented today are representative of the first has made it possible to detect actual genetic two categories of approaches. I will discuss markers in the genome, and relate those to some issues, contributions, and promises phenotypic outcomes. For these reasons the associated with the two approaches in turn. classic twin model may seem old hat: just an antiquated approach soon to be superseded by Kiecolt, Aggen and Kendler molecular genetic research that will identify the actual genes responsible for the phenotypes of In their “Genetic and Environmental Influences interest to medical researchers, psychologists, on the Relationship between Mastery and and sociologists, with the genes so identified Alcohol Dependence” the authors use modern serving as “proofs”, so to speak, of the genetic methods of quantitative genetics to study the basis of the trait. genetic and environmental factors affecting If this was ever the plan, it did not pan out, psychological trait mastery (also called locus of for reasons that are interesting, and the classic control) and alcohol dependence, and the twin model remains a centerpiece of association between the two traits. Using quantitative genetic research. Why have structural equations methodology applied to quantitative genetic researchers continued to data on MZ and DZ twins they show that 33 use twin research, instead of converting into percent of the variance in mastery and 56 molecular geneticists? One reason is that percent of the variance in alcohol dependence are explained by genes, while the best fitting 1 When actual similarity of treatment of twins has been actually model for each trait is one that specifies zero measured, it has typically been found that (1) yes, influence of the shared environment. MZ twins are treated more alike than DZ twins (more likely to be dressed the same, sleep in the same room and spend the same time talking to In other words the kind of influences that parents), and (2) No, greater similarity of treatment is not strongly associated with greater sociologists often assume to be paramount, similarity on the trait. Evolution, Biology and Society Vol. 9, No. 2 Fall 2012 - 4 – molecular geneticists have found relatively few human behavior. The basic idea was already genes of large effect in the determination of formulated by David Rowe (1994) but the human traits of interest, such as height, BMI, methodological issues are complicated and IQ, or alcohol dependence and mastery as in have been fully resolved only very recently, in the paper presented. When identifiable loci are a long paper by Kohler, Behrman and found, together they typically account for only a Schnittker (2011) that appeared last year. small part of the variance in the trait of interest. Consider as an example the association Most human trait we care about seem to be between educational attainment and earnings. determined by a large number of polymorphic In a status attainment framework we might genes that are (a) common,(b) of small or very adopt a “causal” formulation of the relationship, small effect.