On December 6, Sanasar Babajanyan from the Institute of Physics presented a fascinating seminar titled 'The Key Role of Cheaters in the Persistence of Cooperation.'

In this discussion, he explored how cheaters—those who reap the benefits of cooperation without paying the cost—actually play a surprising role in sustaining cooperative behavior.

Using a multilevel selection model, Sanasar Babajanyan showed how individual-level cheaters can contribute to group-level altruism, facilitating the overall growth and survival of cooperative populations.

These findings have broad implications for understanding the emergence of cooperation and host-parasite coevolution throughout the history of life.