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Nature 452, 297-298 (20 March 2008) | doi:10.1038/452297a; Published online 19 March 2008
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Senior Position: Evolutionary Microbial Pathogenesis
- Michigan State University (MSU), Dept. of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
- 2215 Biomedical & Physical Sciences, East Lansing, MI 48824
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Human behaviour: Punisher pays
Manfred Milinski1 & Bettina Rockenbach2
Abstract
The tendency of humans to punish perceived free-loaders, even at a cost to themselves, is an evolutionary puzzle: punishers perish, and those who benefit the most are those who have never punished at all.
Humans are champions of cooperation. Reciprocity — the idea that, if I help you this time, you'll help me next time1 — is a secret of our success.
- Manfred Milinski is in the Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Stra
e 2, D-24306 Plön, Germany.
Email: milinski@evolbio.mpg.de - Bettina Rockenbach is in the Department of Economics, University of Erfurt, Nordhäuser Strae 63, D-99089 Erfurt, Germany.
Email: bettina.rockenbach@uni-erfurt.de
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