Altruism in Biological News

Researchers explore altruism's unexpected ally -- selfishness

... but groups of altruists can robustly out-compete more selfish groups. altruism can therefore evolve by natural selection as long as its collective advantage outweighs its more local disadvantage. All evolutionary theories of altruism reflect this basic conflict between levels of selection. It might seem ...

Pitt team first to profile genes in acutely ill idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients

... on the development of novel therapeutics that will target the molecular pathways identified by our basic science laboratories." If not for the altruism of IPF patients, the research and its promising results would not have been possible, Dr. Kaminski noted. The IPF tissue samples used for the study ...

The neurobiology of musicality related to the intrinsic attachment behavior?

... that music perception and creativity in music are linked to the same phenotypic spectrum of human cognitive social skills, like human bonding and altruism both associated with AVPR1A. We have shown for the first time in the molecular level that music perception has an attachment creating impact, says ...

The importance of being helpful -- Cooperative cichlids boost their own reproductive success

... subordinates' broods and subordinates' alloparental care for dominants' broods. The results of the PLoS ONE study suggest that while reciprocal altruism doesn't occur, the subordinate cichlids did receive reciprocal benefits in exchange for the care they provided for the offspring of dominant pairsa ...

What is the origin of ethics?

... for his research on the relation between economics and evolutionary biology, with special attention to the economics of the family, the evolution of altruism and rivalry between siblings, parent-offspring conflicts, marriage institutions, inheritance, and care for the aged. Link to Prof. Bergstrom's ...

New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists

... male drones. Because the 'selfish' gene controlling worker sterility has never been isolated by scientists, the understanding of how reproductive altruism can evolve has been entirely theoretical until now. Working with Peter Oxley of the University of Sydney in Australia, Western biology professor ...

Group selection, a theory whose time has come...again

... all levels of the biological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems. They conclude with a rallying cry that paraphrases Rabbi Hillel: Selfishness beats altruism within groups. Altruistic groups beat selfish groups. Everything else is commentary, Wilson and Wilson free sociobiology to once again pursue all ...

Humans and monkeys share Machiavellian intelligence

... on the lower end of the hierarchy, a Machiavellian strategy that a mid-ranking monkey can use when under attack from a higher-ranking one. altruism is rare and, in most cases, only a form of nepotistic behavior. Mothers help their daughters achieve a status similar to their own and to maintain it ...

Why we give: New study finds evidence of generosity among our early human ancestors

... will be critical for resolving heated debates about the function of altruism among hunter-gatherers. Strict forms of contingency require ... of conditional cooperation in humans. "Without some kind of payback, altruism can be a very costly endeavor in small-scale societies subsisting on wild ...

Plants recognize their siblings, biologists discover

... a cue for kin recognition.” Though they lack cognition and memory, the study shows plants are capable of complex social behaviours such as altruism towards relatives, says Dudley. Like humans, the most interesting behaviours occur beneath the surface. Dudley and her student, Amanda File, ...

Mule deer moms rescue other fawns

... But while the study's findings seem to point to mule deer as superior mothers, the motivation for looking out for other fawns is likely based not on altruism but on simple survival, said Lingle. "Having a rigid and aggressive response to the simple sound of a fawn distress call may ensure effective ...

Nice guys do finish first in lizards' evolutionary race

... so your buddy can get some tail may seem like a rough life, but it not only works for some lizards, it also gives a fascinating peek into hard-wired altruism in evolutionary biology. Side-blotched lizards spend their year on earth looking to reproduce, and their strategies have lessons about evolution. ...

Johns Hopkins flu expert calls for mandatory vaccination of health care workers

... shot is that it benefits patients, not themselves. However, in the editorial, Perl concludes that, "'Shifting the message from self-interest to altruism in protecting patients may improve vaccination rates, but it won't fix the problem. From a hospital policy standpoint, this is a real patient safety ...