New research shows that family ties and traits such as manipulation, sacrifice and selflessness are just as key to survival in parasitic organisms as they are in cognitive species like humans. In ...

Below we list a few examples of what has been learned from applying kin selection theory—there are thousands of others. (1) Organisms overwhelmingly direct costly assistance, and all true altruism, ...

A battle is being waged over kin and kind: Did cooperation evolve in humans and other animals because it helped relatives? Or because it promoted group living? A school of thought known as inclusive ...

Natural selection favors people who help close kin at their own expense: It can increase the odds the family’s genes are passed to future generations. But why assist distant relatives? Mathematical ...