On the advantages of information sharing

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Systems biology
• Information theory

Background:

• Cooperation and the formation of higher organizational levels (e.g., multicellularity, social insects) are key transitions in life's evolution.
• Previous research has identified several factors conferring evolutionary advantages on these higher levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose information sharing as an additional, significant factor driving the evolution of cooperation and higher organizational levels.
• To explore the unique properties of information sharing compared to physical resource sharing in evolutionary contexts.

Main Methods:

• Development of a simple theoretical model to illustrate the effects of information sharing.
• Analysis of how information sharing impacts the collective and individual acquisition of environmental information.

Main Results:

• Information sharing is not constrained by the same conservation laws as physical resource sharing.
• The model demonstrates that information sharing can lead to aggregates where individuals receive more environmental information at a reduced cost.

Conclusions:

• Information sharing can provide a significant evolutionary advantage, promoting the formation of cooperative groups and higher levels of organization.
• This mechanism may have played a crucial role in major evolutionary transitions towards complexity.