Posted 12 Jun 2012 / 3
The “Early Edition” of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America just posted online a paper entitled “Direct reciprocity in structured populations“. Authored by Matthijs van Veelen, Julián García, David G. Rand, and Martin A. Nowak, the paper combines two well-explored factors that influence how cooperation evolves: repeated Read More
Articles, Behavior, Cooperation, Evolutionary Modeling, Information Design, Reciprocity, Social Networks
Posted 12 Jun 2012 / 0
Prospect Magazine “The descent of Edward Wilson” First comment on this: what’s up with the ad hominem attacks on Wilson implying (not-so-subtly) that he is somehow slipping (look here for another example) in his old age? Given the massive departure that Dawkins has made from science in his writings on religion, he is the last one Read More
A Minor Post, Articles, Books, Cooperation, Group Selection, Human Evolution, Human Uniqueness, Superorganisms
Posted 12 Jun 2012 / 0
The Huffington Post David Sloan Wilson blog “Richard Dawkins, Edward O. Wilson, and the Consensus of the Many” This is a very clear articulation of the history of multilevel selection. If only all biologists (in particular those who do not work in areas investigating altruistic behavior) could be compelled to read this; a lot of Read More
A Minor Post, Cooperation, Human Evolution, Human Uniqueness, Superorganisms, Web
Posted 07 Jun 2012 / 0
The Takeaway “New Developments in DNA Sequencing” The problem with this kind of story is that it confuses listeners. While it may be a technological advance to be able to perform complete genetic sequencing of a fetus without risky invasive procedures, this new ability does not necessarily lead to the kind of “baby selection” that Read More
A Minor Post, Genetic Engineering, Genetics, Radio & Podcasts
Posted 06 Jun 2012 / 0
I am proud to announce the recent publication of a new paper in the Chinese Science Bulletin with collaborators from Yunnan University and the Kunming Institute of Zoology in Kunming, China. Our paper, entitled “Cooperation in an asymmetric volunteer’s dilemma game with relatedness“, uses a game-theoretic analysis of a new variant to the volunteer’s dilemma to Read More
Evolutionary Modeling, Game Theory, Kin Selection, Modeling (General), Mutualism, My publications
Posted 04 Jun 2012 / 0
In the Fall of 2011 I began a new project with Greg Riestenberg, a graduate student in Pratt’s Communications Design program. Given the ubiquity — especially in recent times — of evolutionary game theory, you would think that someone would have produced a set of clear conceptual images depicting how the most important of these games work; Read More
Department of Mathematics & Science, Evolutionary Games Infographics, Game Theory, Information Design, Pratt Institute, Teaching, Teaching Tools
Posted 29 May 2012 / 0
NPR Planet Money “Who Decides Whether This 26-Year-Old Woman Gets A Lung Transplant?” Although this feature does make some interesting observations about the economic dilemmas associated with donated organ assignment, it misses the bigger picture: if everyone elected to donate their organs upon death, increased supply would diminish a lot of the dilemma.
A Minor Post, Altruism, Radio & Podcasts, Social Norms
Posted 27 May 2012 / 0
Today’s New York Times Business section features an interesting article on the recent JPMorgan multi-billion loss. Entitled “The Hunch, the Pounce and the Kill: How Boaz Weinstein and Hedge Funds Outsmarted JPMorgan“, the article explains how a risk-prone hedge fund manager named Boaz Weinstein was able to exploit errors by JPMorgan and end up on Read More
Articles, Economic sustainability, Economics, Ethics, Parasitism, Public Policy, Social Capital, System Stability
Posted 27 May 2012 / 0
LiveScience “Missing Link For Wonky-Eyed Fish Discovered“
A Minor Post, Fossil Data
Posted 23 May 2012 / 0
The New York Times “Wing-Suited Stuntman Takes a Super-Hero Plunge” Sky News “Skydiver Becomes First To Land Without Chute“
A Minor Post, Cultural Evolution, Human limits, Play
