Altruistic suicide in organisms helps kin

[knocker]

I've always found the mystery of altruism fascinating.

 

 

The question of why an individual would actively kill itself has been an evolutionary mystery. Death could hardly provide a fitness advantage to the dying individual. However, a new study has found that in single-celled algae, suicide benefits the organism’s relatives.

 

http://www.wits.ac.za/newsroom/newsitems/201402/22989/news_item_22989.html