Game theory and evolution to explain cooperation!

I could never imagine that guppies or naked worm were good at poker! Well, they are not actually, but the Game Theory that explains poker strategies can also make models to understand the behavior of a guppy facing a predator. There is a lot about the Game Theory that can be explored in Biology, and particularly evolution. One topic that I found very interesting to look at was cooperation.

The model used in the article to illustrate how people tend to cooperate and be fair in everyday trading is quite simple to understand.

Two people are given $100 to split. They cannot see each other and one person is in charge to propose how the money should be split. The other one either refuses or accepts the proposition, and in any case the game stops there. Game theorist would predict that the person splitting the money would go for a very rational and selfish choice, thus proposing a very low percentage. Even though the chances for the proposition to be refused are high, logic suggests that the other player would take it anyway because it is better than nothing at all. However, in real life, this scenario rarely happens. People tend to be more generous and agree to give close to 50% of the money.

The article also proposes an explanation to this behavior: evolution. In fact people believe that only accepting a “fair” amount will lower the chances of being offered too little at the next occasion. Similarly, refusing small amounts increases their chances of being offered a ‘fair’ amount at the next occasion. The variations of this game were tested and the reactions of people seemed to match this evolutionary perspective. For instance when players were allowed to give each other penalties in a game of 4 people, the group that gave the most penalties was usually the one that survived the most to famine, wars and others threats simulations because the players regulated each other more.

The game theory is a fascinating topic!

Source: 

The economics of fair play.

Karl Sigmund,Ernst Fehr and Martin Nowak,

Scientific American, 2001.

Why do I do what I do?

In the past, instincts have quite often driven my choices. I somehow always managed to find those choices conscious without feeling any guilt. When I then joined the ranks of the ‘future leaders of Africa’, this careless approach to life was very much challenged. Here, conscious choices were neither an ideal nor a false label. Rather, they were generally regarded as fruits of a well pondered reflection. I have tried for an entire  year to live up to the standards that the academy had set for me from the beginning, and today I can say proudly that choosing to be part of the scientific research adventure is my conscious choice. This first blog article will take you in the journey of my thought process to that very decision.

When I heard about scientific research for the first time through my roomate, I became very intrigued. I was then faced with the dilemma to either take extra time off my second year timetable, or try and explore something new. For a while, the former sounded like the most plausible choice to me. The event that challenged this view happened during the first round of presentation that the graduating class gave in the auditorium. When I saw the list of the very uncommon topics that were going to be presented to us, I started seeing the potential in the adventure. But I was not even close to reality.
Scientific research cannot only be resumed to having potential, it is a life choice. It is the choice to value integrity by handing in assignments that deserved my full attention, to celebrate curiosity by exploring topics like Quantum mechanics even though I am a Biology student, and to apply my courage to the challenging task of communicating to others my passions. It also teach me how to dig deep into certain field of science that I find exciting such as behavior, the game theory and many others. Most importantly, scientific research allows me to learn for the only sake of learning, without the quantitative value usually attached to it. Grades never define anyone, they rather tell  us where we are located in the work  intensity and quality bar.  The scientific research adeventure is thus for me an opportunity to restore the value of learning ,to explore the world of science and to finally learn how to share its importance with others.

Let’s begin this journey then, shall we?