Having good friendships may make for a healthier gut microbiome

Social connections are essential for good health and well-being in social animals, such as ourselves and other primates. There is also increasing evidence that the gut microbiome—through the so-called "gut-brain axis"—plays ...

Why do we learn to reward cooperation?

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 ...

Friendly pelicans breed better

Captive pelicans that are free to choose their own friendships are more likely to breed successfully on repeated occasions, new research suggests.

Charles Darwin and conspicuous consumption: Why bling is blingy

Luxury brands are a prominent feature of modern society. Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe how the upper classes showcased expensive goods without inherent practical benefits to demonstrate ...

Bacteria perform mass suicide to defend their colony

A new study from researchers at Oxford University's Departments of Zoology and Biochemistry shows that warring bacteria will engage in suicidal attacks in vast numbers to take down competitors.

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