From Maths to Altruism

The Upper Sixth Form Biology Readiness for University course finished on a high this week with two Old Cats giving stunning lectures on two amazing areas of Biology. 

 

Bethany Quinton has just graduated from York University with a First in Biology and recreated one of her favourite Uni lectures – on the dilemma of altruism which seems to go against all the principles of Darwinian Natural Selection.  Why would animals ranging from monkeys to ants to bees to birds help relatives bring up their young at the expense of themselves therefore not breeding?   Understanding the maths of Hamilton’s rule helps us understand at a genetic level why this is favourable. 

 

Isaac Quinton is currently studying for a Masters in Maths at world leading Warwick University – certainly the best funded maths department of any UK university, and arguably the top Uni for maths at the moment in the country.   Isaac explained his second year dissertation project on the Mathematical Modelling of Disease with such clarity it made some head-spinning maths seem easy.   Maths is an ever more important part of Biology and as the introductory paper the Upper Sixth Form were shown states ‘Maths is Biology’s Next Microscope, only better’.