Two Michigan State University evolutionary biologists offer
new evidence that evolution doesn’t favor the selfish, disproving a theory
popularized in 2012.
“We found evolution will punish you if you’re selfish and
mean,” said lead author Christoph Adami, MSU professor of microbiology and
molecular genetics. “For a short time and against a specific set of opponents,
some selfish organisms may come out ahead. But selfishness isn’t evolutionarily
sustainable.”