Speaker: 

Wes Maciejewski

Institution: 

University of British Columbia

Time: 

Monday, December 1, 2014 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Host: 

Location: 

NS2 1201

Abstract: Charles Darwin, in his On the Origin of Species, laid the foundation for all of modern biology. But he had doubts of his own theory: "I...confine myself to one special difficulty...actually fatal to my whole theory. I allude to the neuters or sterile females in insect communities...they cannot propagate their kind." Put another way, how can evolution explain altruistic behaviour? Evolution has proven the test of time, so was Darwin wrong in second guessing? As it turns out, some basic mathematics was all that was needed to solidify his theory.