W.D. Hamilton facts for kids
William Donald Hamilton (born August 1, 1936 – died March 7, 2000) was a very important English scientist. He was an evolutionary biologist, which means he studied how living things change and develop over long periods. Another famous scientist, Richard Dawkins, said that Hamilton was one of the greatest thinkers about evolution in the 20th century.
Hamilton became famous for his ideas about "kin selection" and "altruism". These ideas help explain why animals sometimes help their relatives, even if it puts themselves at risk. He showed how these behaviors are linked to genes. His work helped create a way of thinking called sociobiology, which looks at how social behaviors in animals and humans have evolved. Hamilton's ideas greatly influenced many other scientists, including Richard Dawkins. He also did important research on how many males and females are born (called sex ratios) and how having two sexes (male and female) evolved. From 1984 until he passed away in 2000, he was a special professor at Oxford University. He died from malaria, a serious illness he caught while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Understanding Altruism: Hamilton's Rule
Hamilton's rule is a simple idea that helps us understand when a helpful behavior, called "altruism," might spread in a group of animals. Altruism is when an animal acts in a way that benefits another animal, but might cost itself something.
Hamilton's rule says that a gene for altruistic behavior will likely spread if this math problem works out:
Let's break down what the letters mean:
is the cost to the animal doing the helping. For example, if a bird gives a warning call about a predator, it might draw attention to itself.
is the benefit to the animal receiving the help. The other birds hear the warning and can escape.
is how closely related the two animals are. For example, brothers and sisters are more closely related than distant cousins.
So, if the benefit to the relative, multiplied by how closely related they are, is greater than the cost to the helper, then that helpful behavior is more likely to become common. This is why animals often help their family members!
Hamilton's Published Works
William Hamilton started gathering his scientific papers into books in 1996. He wrote short introductions for each paper to explain its importance. Sadly, he passed away after the second book was prepared. So, other scientists who worked with him helped finish the notes for the third book.
See also
In Spanish: William Donald Hamilton para niños
