Month: June 2012

Clarifications about inclusive fitness and multi-level selection from David Queller

Misunderstandings about the "group selection controversy" continue to rumble on for some reason (especially in the study of humans), even though inclusive fitness (kin selection) and multi-level selection (group selection) are simply two alternative equivalent ways of modeling and talking about the same evolutionary reality. Here's a link to a discussion of the group selection controversy … Continue reading Clarifications about inclusive fitness and multi-level selection from David Queller

New paper on social calls in vampire bats

Read our new paper here. You can learn a lot about the social life of an animal by learning what forms of communication they use. The communication system of vampire bats is similar to some other highly cognitive and cooperative species, like bottle-nosed dolphins. Both vampires and dolphins produce biosonar clicks and use longer tonal sounds … Continue reading New paper on social calls in vampire bats

Is killing vampire bats good for public health? No. It might increase rabies risks.

A team of researches based in the USA and Peru conducted a rigorous study on rabies in vampire bats, and found some intriguing results. First, a bit about rabies. This is a terrible disease which infects and kills mammals (including bats, cattle, and humans). Rabies virus is spread from mammal to mammal via saliva, usually from … Continue reading Is killing vampire bats good for public health? No. It might increase rabies risks.

Why vampire bats are a good experimental model of cooperation: natural, cognitive, and controllable

Sociability is as much a law of nature as mutual struggle. -Kropotkin (1902) Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution Ever since Darwin realized that his concept natural selection was the key driver of evolution, he and other biologists pondered one of the most puzzling and interesting questions in biology: why would individuals that help others … Continue reading Why vampire bats are a good experimental model of cooperation: natural, cognitive, and controllable

Why are we so nice? Tales of human generosity, a “moral molecule”, and cooperation in rats

Everyone seems interested in human cooperation, even though humans are not as cute as other animals, like bats. But I figured I would write a blog post mainly about cooperation in humans (...but also other animals too). Imagine you and I are playing a trust game, an anonymous game played over a computer. We both … Continue reading Why are we so nice? Tales of human generosity, a “moral molecule”, and cooperation in rats