This talk was given by Mrs Sims on 25th September, 2019.
Altruism is the behaviour of an animal which benefits another at its own expense. It can be seen in human society through actions such as saving someone from drowning – an action which would save another’s life but put your own at risk. Altruism can also be seen in nature, such as in Vampire Bats. When a bat has not managed to find a meal of blood during the night, other bats may regurgitate blood in order to feed these bats. This can be explained due to the bats being closely related and it is expected that they can detect this by chemical signals which they smell and due to usually roosting in family groups. Evolution favours traits which allow the individual to reproduce more often and pass on their genes. Hamilton Kin’s selection theory presents the idea that as related animals will often pass on the same genes, by ensuring another bat survives, they increase the likelihood that their genes will be passed on to offspring. Hamilton stated that altruism will be favoured if: Relatedness x benefit in predicted offspring to recipient > cost in predicted offspring to donor As bats are usually closely related and will normally reproduce once a year, in this example altruism will be favoured by evolution even if the donor was unable to reproduce that year. Another idea behind altruism is Trivers’ Reciprocal Altruism Theory that altruism is selected for in animals if it will benefit the animal by similar altruism in the future. This applies in animals which live in social groups – such as bats – and does not require relatedness. This has been demonstrated by experiments of captive bats as meal-sharing has increased over time so bats will meal-share with those they have been living in close contact with for a long time. What do you think? Are human acts of altruism any different from those of animals or do we act only in the interest of passing on our genes? Here are the references used in the talk, take a look for further information:
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Hi all! This academic year, Cafe Scientifique is being lead by myself (Isha), Fiona and Rebecca, 3 Lower Sixth students with a passion for science. We all take Biology and Chemistry at A level and are hoping to continue studying science at University. This year, we plan to organise talks from a range of external, and some internal, speakers within different fields of science, from altruistic behaviour in animals to nanoparticles. Continue reading to find out more, and feel free to comment...
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