Not the law of the strongest; cooperation as the origin of everything

Is it true that only the strongest survive? What if the ‘law of the jungle’ is not as simple as we have been told? For decades, this idea has been used to justify fierce competition, both in nature and in the dynamics of our society. However, animal and human behaviour reveals a far more complex reality: far from being a mere struggle for supremacy, life is full of examples of cooperation.

What will I read in this article?

• The case of Benjamina and Elvis: the origin of human care
• Bacteria: the first example of teamwork
• Animal altruism and care beyond kinship

Benjamina and Elvis: Care as a sign of humanity

A notable example of this is the story of "Benjamina", the name given to the skull found in the Sima de los Huesos in Atapuerca in 2001, It belonged to a girl of the Homo heidelbergensis species who lived about 530,000 years ago. She suffered from craniosynostosis, a congenital disease that deforms the skull and can cause severe neurological damage. It is estimated that Benjamina lived to 10 years of age, something that would not have been possible without a nurturing and protective environment. According to the team that investigated this case, although she may have been deformed the group did not leave her behind, unlike what has happened at other times in history - and places - to people with disabilities. The discovery of this skull provides evidence that support and care networks were already in existence. The name Benjamina, which means "most beloved" in Hebrew, was chosen for her for this reason.

"The discovery of Benjamina's skull is evidence that support and care networks were already in place."

A pelvis nicknamed "Elvis" was also found in the Sima de los Huesos. After years of research, it was possible to identify and reconstruct the pelvis and five vertebrae associated with the skeleton of an elderly man who suffered from severe lumbar deformity and interspinous osteoarthritis, conditions which must have caused back pain, leg pain and perhaps a bent trunk. The fact that he survived to an advanced age for the time, despite his physical limitations, also reinforces the idea that care and cooperation are part of the human essence. 

Bacteria: the first teamwork

What about animals? Different theories show that cooperation is an essential part of evolution. Pau Carazo, Professor of Zoology at the Universitat de València, explains that even "the evolutionary origin of the cell is based on cooperation". Indeed, the first stages of life on Earth were based on collaboration between replicating molecules. These did not evolve in isolation but began to organise themselves into shared structures, giving rise to the first genomes within a membrane: cells. This union marked the birth of the first living ‘individual’ and the beginning of cellular life, with bacteria and archaea as the first life forms.

"Social evolution is a key discipline for understanding cooperation at all levels of life, from the simplest organisms to human societies."

Social evolution is a key discipline for understanding cooperation at all levels of life, from the simplest organisms to human societies. As Carazo explains, this area of study aims to explain both the basic interactions between bacteria and the complex collaborative networks that characterise our cultures. The aim is to understand "the evolution and function of cooperation", an essential process without which "it is impossible to understand life, from its origins in those first replicators in the heat of hydrothermal vents to the tangle of social relations that make up our society today".

Altruism beyond kinship

From an evolutionary perspective, care for offspring in the animal kingdom has long been considered limited to members of the same family, as this helps pass on shared genes. However, a study published in Science Advances by Irene García-Ruiz, Andrés Quiñones and Michael Taborsky suggests that care goes beyond kinship and that living in a group offers an advantage in terms of survival, especially in difficult environments. This study highlights animal societies that practice cooperative breeding, including cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, certain mammals, several bird species, and numerous insect species. "In these societies, a single dominant pair usually takes care of reproduction while the rest of the group helps to raise the offspring. These members are acting altruistically in caring for offspring that are not their own", they state.

"Altruism, understood as seeking the good of others even at the cost of one's own good, is not only found among human beings."

Therefore, when altruistic care enhances the survival of offspring, the social group expands. At the same time, this also increases caregivers' chances of survival by reducing their exposure to predators and other environmental hazards. This study also demonstrates that altruism, understood as prioritising the well-being of others even at the expense of one's own, is not limited to human beings. Care, often undervalued in our society, is an essential basis for life. In the face of the logic of the law of the strongest, cooperation sustains life and our social fabric. To recognise the value of this is also to recognise the structural inequalities that permeate our reality and the urgent need to transform them. Leaving no one behind means creating tools that, despite our differences, allow us to move forward collectively.