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Imagine you're born into a tribe that has evolved to purposefully die, but you are a mutant that lives twice as long and has twice as many kids. What stops your
by TheEzEzz 15y ago
Imagine you're born into a tribe that has evolved to purposefully die, but you are a mutant that lives twice as long and has twice as many kids. What stops your genes from quickly spreading?
All known species die of old age. This includes species that are not social and do not share resources. Group selection can not be the mechanism at play here.
- jodrellblank 15y agoAll known species die of old age. Except, possibly, the immortal jellyfish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_nutricula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_nutricula
- JoeAltmaier 15y agoAll known species share their ecological niche with the rest of their members. They are also social to the extent that they court and reproduce. In your example, what stops the genes from spreading is that the entire village dies of starvation or competition with other tribes that have younger, fitter members. Its a matter of degree. Humans are social to a high degree, but possibly not as high as ants for instance. Ants eat members of the tribe that are injured, an extreme example of group-efficiency taking priority over the individual.