Ipswich School students had the pleasure of listening to the Academic Excellence lecture by Henry L, Lily N and Zahra M, this past Wednesday. The topic of “The science behind human partnership” started the year of lectures with a blast, topics varied from the genetics of why we like who we like, to the biology of why we have crushes. Each lecturer spoke about separate sides of the argument: the brain – Henry L, social psychology – Lily N, and genetics – Zahra M.
The lecture, delivered by three students hoping to study medicine at university, was very informative, highlighting that this is a topic which scientists are still discovering information about. During the first Q&A session before the content of the lecture, we learnt that the subject of ‘the science behind human partnership’ had been on Henry’s mind since his Year 10 biology lessons with Mrs Blee, and we also learnt about the process by which they began to research this mammoth project, and how they worked together as a team. With many students from younger years present at the lecture, this was a great way for them to seethe process that it takes to create a 40 minute presentation on a topic that you do not study in class. Henry L began by giving a brief introduction to the topic, moving to take a deep dive into the brain and the hormones related to the building of relationships. For example, we learnt that after the initial levels of oxytocin have peaked, which is the honeymoon period of a relationship, the hormone vasopressin surges. This is then when you would be in the long term stage. An interesting question from the audience tested Henry on his extra knowledge around the topic, where someone inquired what the general time period was for the oxytocin to peak and then the vasopressin to set in. The answer was that we don’t explicitly know, it is different for everyone which makes it difficult for scientists to actually pin it down.
The next topic of the lecture was presented by Lily N. She spoke thoroughly about long term relationships as well as the psychological side. Although many mammals choose their mate based on genetic potential to produce the best type of offspring, studies have shown this is different for humans. She proposed three main reasons as to why we humans have more long term relationships when compared to other animals who mate solely for the purpose of reproduction. Firstly, primate protection – the idea that there must be a form of male protection of the mother and her young to avoid conflict with other males attempting to assert dominance. The second reason is female spacing hypothesis. This is the theory that as females occupy a larger space and territory it becomes harder to maintain multiple mates causing them to have one loyal partner only. The third reason was slower and larger brain development. As human brains are much bigger but develop slower, infants need much more ‘nurturing’ and ‘support’ from both parties for a longer time period.
Last but not least, Zahra M delivered the genetic side of the discussion. She spoke about how genetically we are made to look for those with the least common alleles in their genes. This is to avoid incest amongst our tribe, and studies have shown that we are less likely to have a sexual desire for people we grow up around. As well as this she presented information about the way we look for genetically adept traits that will be more likely to produce successful offspring, ones which are more likely to survive in the given environment. She also touched on the ethics of genetic engineering to adjust pheromones, which could make some people more or less attractive to others scientifically. Altogether the students provided a fascinating insight into the topic of attraction. Well done to them for all their hard work.
Article written by Hansana G and Ellie R, Year 13
