Student-run speaker series: Andy Gardner

On Friday July 21st at 17:00, the student-run speaker series "A Spotlight on Cooperation: from Behavior to the Brain" will feature a lecture by Andy Gardner, University of St. Andrews, UK.

His presentation, entitled "The evolution of cooperation and conflict" will be held at the BCCN lecture hall, House 6 at HU Campus, Philippstraße 12.

The seminar will be preceded by a pre-event reception with coffee and some snacks at 16:30.

If you will join the seminar, please register using this form.

Abstract: A discussion of the basic mechanisms by which kin selection arises and show that each of these mechanisms has the potential to drive less—rather than more—cooperative outcomes. Natural selection explains the appearance of design in the living world, but at what level is this design expected to manifest – gene, individual, society – and what is its function? Social evolution provides a window on this problem, by pitting the interests of genes, individuals and societies against each other. I develop general theory on the topics of inclusive fitness and multilevel selection, and also tailor general theory to the biology of particular species to facilitate empirical testing. I work on a wide range of biological systems, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, crustaceans, insects, arachnids, fish, mice and humans.

Save the dates for the next seminars!

08.09. James Burkett (University of Toledo, USA):
“Rodent empathy as an outcome for models of neurodevelopmental disorders”

15.09. Friederike Range (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria):
“Differences in cooperative interactions and their underlying mechanisms in wolves and dogs”