New Study Eyes Evolution of Fairness and Punishment

(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.

Defensive symbiosis leads to gene loss in bacterial partners

Antibiotics on the cocoon protect the offspring of beewolves, a group of digger wasps, from detrimental fungi. These protective substances are produced by symbiotic bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, which live in these ...

Sunbathing helps these bugs stay healthy

Sunbathing may be healthy – at least for one group of North American insects that apparently uses the activity to fight off germs, Simon Fraser University scientists have found.

Acacias use ants to guard flowers

(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by Dr Nigel Raine, Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at Royal Holloway, University of London has revealed how a special plant-ant relationship thrives on give and take for mutual benefit.

First contact could turn out well for humanity

You've heard this story before. An advanced alien race comes to Earth. They offer peace and prosperity, but they hold a dark secret. One that could destroy humanity. That dark secret has varied over the years, from stealing ...

What happens in communities during large-scale quarantines

Early in the pandemic, many nurses in Wuhan, China, cut their hair short or shaved their heads in an effort to reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, groups of volunteers supported Wuhan residents sequestered ...

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