Biologists Find Evolution Favors Strategic Cooperation and Selfishness

Professor of Biology Joshua Plotkin and post-doc Alexander J. Stewart last year published a mathematical explanation of the evolution of cooperation and generosity in nature through the use of the Prisoner’s Dilemma in game theory.

In new findings, to be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Plotkin and Stewart found that when the Prisoner’s Dilemma is played in a large, evolving population with variations in available payoffs, selfish strategies can be more successful. The research presents a grimmer but more realistic view of how cooperation and selfishness operate in nature.

Read the full story here.

Arts & Sciences News

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Tej Patel, C’25, W’25, and Sridatta Teerdhala, C’25, W’25, Selected as Marshall Scholars

The students, both part of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, will receive funding for up to three years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.

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$50 Million Legacy Gift to Penn Arts & Sciences Funds Undergraduate Aid

With an estate gift of more than $42 million, William J. Levy, a graduate of the Wharton School and Law School, has contributed $50 million in support of undergraduate students in the College.

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Jeffrey Kallberg Named Interim Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences

Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music, will step into the role as of January 1, 2025.

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Josephine Nock-Hee Park Named Associate Dean for Arts and Letters

The School of Arts and Sciences President’s Distinguished Professor of English will oversee the School’s humanities departments and research centers.

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2024 Making a Difference in Global Communities and Klein Family Social Justice Grants Announced

The funding went to 11 projects from faculty in nine Penn Arts & Sciences departments, with work focusing on everything from better crime policy to a philosopher-in-residence program and psychology education in middle schools.

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Bo Zhen Named Jin K. Lee Presidential Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Zhen’s research focuses on the study of electromagnetic waves, such as light, in engineered environments.

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