The Daily Dose: The evolution of an altruism
gene
(June 2, 2006)
Now hear
this: One scientist gives the Mona Lisa a voice. (Photo: Wikimedia
Commons)
Pick
of the Crop: The evolution of an altruism gene
The
Lighter Side: Mona Lisa speaks; bad buzz for global
warming
Rest
of the Best: Religion joined science after 1979 in
Iran; evolution seen in a yogurt cup; Metanexus Institute awards
$4.6 million to further scientific research on religion
The evolution of an altruism
gene
Science & Theology News has published many articles
on altruism over the years, and now evidence is available that sheds
more light on the biological origins of altruistic behavior:
For the first time, scientists say they have traced
the origin of an “altruism gene,” possibly shedding light on the
nagging mystery of how generosity and cooperation evolved.
The findings, they add, suggest that at least some
altruism genes evolved from genes that originally served to suppress
some biological activities in lean times.
The scientists traced an “altruism gene” in
Volvox carterii, a primitive multi-cellular creature, to
its one-celled ancestor.
The new research might also begin to answer a nagging
question often put to evolutionary biologists: If evolution requires
self-centeredness in terms of mating to pass along genes, how could
self-sacrifice and altruism actually have evolved? It seems the
answer might be deceptively simple: the genes that facilitated
delayed gratification were co-opted to enable other-centered
behaviors.
In Volvox, … evolution apparently co-opted the gene
for the grander goal of cellular cooperation.
This transformation may have required no change in
the gene itself, they argued; all that needed to change was the way
it was activated and inactivated. Every organism has this ability to
switch genes on and off. It’s often accomplished by coating the
relevant DNA with specialized molecules blocking its use.
In evolutionary terms, [Aurora Nedelcu of the
University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada] said, there may
be no fundamental difference between altruism in Volvox and the
generosity that inspires people to give, say, to charity. Both might
ultimately stem from similar mechanisms.
“I do believe that the same principle applies,” she
wrote in an email. Any gene that allows someone to delay
gratification for future benefits, she speculated, might be co-opted
by evolution to shift those benefits to others instead.
Variable or stressful environments may encourage
this process, she added. Periodic hardship frequently spurs the
evolution of survival mechanisms that involve suppressing biological
activities, like Crsc13. Moreover, in tough times, people often come
together; so do many bacteria.
But researchers will have to write histories of more
“altruism genes” in different organisms before drawing general
conclusions of this sort, Nedelcu cautioned: “definitely, more
studies are needed.”
The Volvox finding is “exciting,” said Gene Robinson
of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a specialist in
the genetics of social behavior who wasn’t involved in the research.
“It overall demonstrates that comparative genomic analyses, done on
the right sets of species, hold great promise” for charting the
evolution of sociality.
For more on this topic, see STNews.org’s overview of
altruism.
Mona Lisa speaks
From CNN:
The Mona Lisa's smile may always remain a mystery,
but it is now possible to hear what her voice would have sounded
like, thanks to a Japanese acoustics expert.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that she probably sounded
like Paris Bennett from American idol.
Bad buzz for global warming
A CNN reporter noted that the Arctic was warmed naturally by
greenhouse gases 55 million years ago, so much so that it “might
have been the ideal ancient vacation hotspot with a 74-degree
Fahrenheit (23-degree Celsius) average temperature, alligator
ancestors and palm trees.” But like today, there were also
pests:
"It probably was [a tropical paradise] but the
mosquitoes were probably the size of your head," said Yale geology
professor Mark Pagani, a study co-author.
Fair enough. And with global temperatures heading up again, now
might be a good time to buy stock in the insect repellant
companies.
Religion joined science after 1979 in Iran |
“Mullah Hassan Khomeini said on Wednesday that the Islamic
Revolution reestablished the bond between science and religion.”
(Persian Journal)
Evolution seen in a yogurt cup | “The ability to
trace the transformation of Lactobacillus bulgaricus(L.
bulgaricus), a common bacterial culture in yogurt, illustrates
the penetrating insight into evolutionary processes that DNA
analysis now gives biologists. No longer are they limited in their
study of an organism's changes in form and function. They can read
those changes as they are written into the organism's genetic code.”
(The Christian Science Monitor)
Metanexus Institute awards $4.6 million to further
scientific research on religion | “The Philadelphia-based
Metanexus Institute announced today the awarding of $4.6 million to
fund 11 research teams seeking to further the scientific
understanding of religion and spirituality. Grants in the Templeton
Advanced Research Project (TARP), funded by the John Templeton
Foundation as part of its mission to advance religion and science,
were made by competitive application from more than 400 qualified
proposals.” (PRNewswire)
Story tips? E-mail mdonnelly@stnews.org
Matt Donnelly is acquisitions editor at Science &
Theology News.
The Daily Dose is a compilation of news from outside sources.
Science & Theology News and STNews.org are not
responsible for the content of any external links contained in this
column, and the ideas expressed in those linked articles do not
reflect the opinions of Science & Theology News or
STNews.org.
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