Cafe Scientifique : Does Evolution Make You Selfish? May 13, 2008

Does Evolution Make You Selfish?
Tuesday, May 13, 6 p.m.
Kitty Cat Klub, Dinkytown
Free ($5 suggested donation)
If evolution is all about getting ahead, does it ever pay to be generous? Anyone who has watched a backyard bird feeder might not believe that blue jays can cooperate. Yet research at the University of Minnesota reveals that jays do cooperate—and that they also cheat. How can evolution select for both these behaviors? Or does evidence of self-sacrifice demonstrate that evolution is a flawed theory? Join behavioral ecologist David Stephens for a discussion about how evolution might or might not explain why animals do what they do.

Official Website: http://www.bellmuseum.org/calendar.html#cafe_scientifique