(Phys.org) —Tricking someone into trusting you in order to gain something from them is common behavior in both the animal and human worlds. From cuckoo birds that trick other bird species into raising their young, to cunning ...
University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologists Derek Lovley, Zarath Summers and colleagues report in the Dec. 2 issue of Science that they have discovered a new cooperative behavior in anaerobic bacteria, known as interspecies ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 2, 2010
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have long been puzzled by large societies in which strangers routinely engage in voluntary acts of kindness, respect and mutual benefit even though there is often an individual cost involved.
Social Sciences
Mar 18, 2010
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For all those dismayed by scenes of looting in disaster-struck zones, whether Haiti or Chile or elsewhere, take heart: Good acts - acts of kindness, generosity and cooperation - spread just as easily as bad. And it takes ...
Social Sciences
Mar 8, 2010
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cheaters may prosper in the short term, but over time they seem doomed to fail, at least in the microscopic world of amoebas where natural selection favors the noble.
Evolution
Oct 1, 2009
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(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the perplexing questions raised by evolutionary theory is how cooperative behavior, which benefits other members of a species at a cost to the individual, came to exist.
Evolution
Apr 6, 2009
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In the complicated world of human interactions, helping others can come back around, a concept known as indirect reciprocity. It's like a societal credit score, where one's good deeds build up a good reputation, prompting ...
Social Sciences
Mar 4, 2024
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Cooperation is a guiding principle of everyday life. It's as simple as following the rules of the road when driving or holding a door for a stranger; cooperation is a fundamental aspect of human societies and has long intrigued ...
Mathematics
Jun 8, 2023
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Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Plön show that reputation plays a key role in determining which rewarding policies people adopt. Using game theory, they explain why individuals learn to use rewards to specifically ...
Social Sciences
Oct 27, 2022
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Bacteria, not unlike humans, can take up more resources than necessary. When this happens, synthesized byproducts can leak into the environment, which allows other nearby bacteria to evolve cooperative behaviors—such as ...
Evolution
Jun 13, 2022
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