Evolution: Love thy Neighbour

The Roles of the Learned Societies in Improving Quality of Life in the context of Globalisation

This manuscript is an adapted text of an address to the Thai Royal Institution during the 'International Conference for the Celebrations on the Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King's 7th Cycle Birthday Anniversary'. There are many problems facing the world in the context of increasing globalization. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18), reminds ...

Love Thy Neighbour: Automatic Animal Behavioural Classification of Acceleration Data Using the K-Nearest Neighbour Algorithm

Researchers hoping to elucidate the behaviour of species that aren't readily observed are able to do so using biotelemetry methods. Accelerometers in particular are proving particularly effective and have been used on terrestrial, aquatic and volant species with success. In the past, behavioural modes were detected in accelerometer data through manual inspection, but with developments in techno...

Kill Thy Neighbour: An Individualistic Argument for the Evolution of Flammability

The idea that flammability has evolved in man) tire-prone communities has been criticised for being group-selectionist. However flammability may enhance inclusive fitness if the resulting tires kill neighbouring less flammable indi\iduals and also open recruitment possibilities. We modelled the evolution ot flammabilits usmg cellular automata to simulate neighbourhood effects of burning. For pl...

Don't love thy nearest neighbor

Love Thy Neighbour: Group Properties of Gaping Behaviour in Mussel Aggregations

By associating closely with others to form a group, an animal can benefit from a number of advantages including reduced risk of predation, amelioration of environmental conditions, and increased reproductive success, but at the price of reduced resources. Although made up of individual members, an aggregation often displays novel effects that do not manifest at the level of the individual organ...