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SUMMARY:The evolution of polychromatic ‘greenbeard’ genes - Professor 
 Jason Wolf\, Department of Biology and Biochemistry\, University of Bath
DTSTART:20220505T130000Z
DTEND:20220505T140000Z
UID:TALK161317@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION:W. D. Hamilton (1964) famously showed that an altruistic mutan
 t would be favoured by selection if the cost of altruism was outweighed by
  the benefits it provides to other copies of the mutation. This kin select
 ion framework\, therefore\, identified relatedness as the critical propert
 y of interactions\, providing a link between the costs and benefits of alt
 ruism from the perspective of a mutation. Less appreciated\, however\, is 
 the part of Hamilton’s original analysis focused ‘discrimination in so
 cial situations’\, where he argued that a mutation would be even more fa
 voured if\, instead of relying on relatedness\, it could directly discrimi
 nate carriers of the mutation from non-carriers\, and preferentially direc
 t benefits towards the carriers. To explain the logic of this scenario\, R
 ichard Dawkins devised his ‘greenbeard’ thought experiment\, where a s
 ingle gene produces a signal (a green beard)\, identifies that signal in o
 thers\, and modifies behaviour to direct help towards other green bearded 
 individuals. These manifold requirements made greenbeard genes appear biol
 ogically implausible\, but they have\, nonetheless\, been described in a d
 iverse array of organisms. To understand how greenbeard genes evolved\, wh
 y they are typically hyper-polymorphic\, and how they are able to achieve 
 all of these properties\, we have been combining theoretical\, computation
 al\, and empirical approaches. I will provide a general overview of our wo
 rk to date and discuss our ongoing work along these lines.
LOCATION:Zoom meeting
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