The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk. \;Attend in person or visit our live stream on YouTube at \;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.
\nLunch Time Talk: \; \;Saira Khan
\nOctober 20 @ 12:00 pm \;- \;1:00 pm \;EDT
\nTitle: \;Coarse-grained Theories of Cooperation and Myxobacteria
\nAbstract:
\nA particular strain of myxobacteria known as \;Myxococcus xanthus \;has received attention for its cooperative predation. \;I examine whether the same explanations proposed to account for cooperation in other areas of the \;M. xanthus \;life-cycle &ndash\; in quorum-sensing\, social motility and fruiting body formation &ndash\; can also account for their cooperative predation. I argue that cooperation in \;M. xanthus \;predation cannot be sustained by the same mechanisms. Part of the reason lies in a possible mischaracterisation of the cooperative problem as a linear public goods game or game in which strategies are independent of \;genes implicated \;in other \;M. xanthus \;activities. Another part lies in the insensitivity of these explanatory models to ecological and genomic context. These insights provide important lessons for our use of simplified models to explain real-world behaviours in a variety of organisms. \;
\nThis talk will also be available live streamed on YouTube at \;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR