The Comparative Behavioral Biology Workshop Presents

GENE ROBINSON

from the Department of Entomology and the Carl W. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

this Wednesday, October 19 at 12pm 

in BPSB 122 (940 E 57th St) 

Me to We: Using Honey Bees to Search for the Genetic Roots of Social Life 

Abstract:

True societies are very rare in biology, but have evolved repeatedly in a group of insects that include the ants, bees, and wasps, with the honey bee widely considered a paragon of sociality. In this lecture I will use the honey bee and related bee species to demonstrate how genomics enables the study of social life in molecular terms, with examples of mechanisms relating selfish behavior that have evolved to promote cooperation, and connections between socially responsive genomes and human health.

If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Robinson during his stay, please contact me at cfleener@uchicago.edu