Society & Culture
Episode 09: Nancy Segal - Identical Twins and Human Nature
2021-08-02
Nancy Segal is a behavioral geneticist, evolutionary psychologist, and one of the nation's preeminent experts on twin studies. During our conversation, Nancy talks about what we can learn from identical twin studies, the role of genes in human nature, and her forthcoming book, "Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart."
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(00:59) Nancy shares her background and what got her interested in twin studies
(02:04) The state of research around twins when Nancy started her career
(03:40) Nancy’s initial intuition about fraternal twins and identical twins and what that looked like once the research was actually fleshed out
(06:04) About identical twins, how they're created, and their biological similarities
(07:51) The story of two pairs of identical Columbian twins who were raised as two pairs of fraternal twins
(13:48) The University of Virginia’s study on identical and fraternal twins
(17:43) The role of epigenetics in the development of any human being
(21:12) A peek into Nancy’s upcoming book, Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart
(26:01) Nancy talks about the Louis Wise Agency
(34:23) What is the moral and reasonable way to try to raise the next generation of kids?
(41:20) Misunderstandings or corrections that Nancy clarifies about twins through her research and expertise
(43:26) The most interesting information Nancy has received about her discipline, both research-based and anecdote-based
(50:03) Do our genes predispose us in a particular direction when making decisions
(56:25) Nancy talks about virtual twins, their traits, and about Canadian photographer, Francois Brunelle who has taken pictures of look-alikes (not biological twins
(59:03) Questions on twins beyond the realm of scientific inquiry
(01:07:42) What are the pushbacks to academic research on twin studies? What can we, as citizens, do to help protect researchers?
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