William Donald "Bill "Hamilton (* 1 August 1936 in Cairo, Egypt; "† 7. March 2000) was an English biologist, who operated research in the area of the Ethologie, evolution biology, zoologist and genetics. It became famous for its theoretical work, which supplied the genetic bases for the existence of the relative selection (kin selection). It can be regarded as a forerunner of the Soziobiologie, which were created by Edward Osborne Wilson.

Life

Early years

Hamilton was born 1936 in Cairo as the secondaryoldest of six children. Its father, A.M. Hamilton was an engineer, and its nut/mother, born in New Zealand, B.M. Hamilton, was a lady doctor.

The family Hamilton pulled after Kent as Bill a boy was. During 2. World war was evacuated it after Edinburgh. It was interested early in natural history and spent its spare time thereby butterflies and other insects to collect. 1946 he discovered the book Butterflies (butterflies) of E.B. Ford, which him to the principles of the evolution introduced.

It was educated at the Tonbridge school, where it lived in the school building. When 12 it became year old seriously wounded, than it played with explosive, which its father had left as it hand grenades for the homeland defense during 2. World war manufactured. The accident would have cost it the life, would not have been probable its nut/mother lady doctor. One had to amputieren it fingers at the right hand and it needed six months up to its recovery.

During its first academic years at the pc. John's college, University of Cambridge with conclusion (B.S.) 1960, it substantially affected by Ronald Fisher book "The Genetical Theory OF Natural Selection", which supplied a mathematical basis for evolution genetics. Mainly it turned against the conceptions of the group selection.

Hamilton's rule

It made its doctor work 1968 during it at the University college London and to London School OF Economics and Political Science was registered, over the principles, which later than "Hamilton's rule" the Gesamtfitness admits became. Its work over this topic is today world-wide quoted.

The Gesamtfitness of an organism can be measured as the number of own genes, which is passed on to the following generation. It exposes itself together

A) the direct Fitness, the own genes in the own descendants, it without strange assistance to produce could and

b) the indirect Fitness, the own genes, which were passed on by its assistance additionally at strange descendant. After John May pool of broadcasting corporations Smith exists apart from the passing on of the genes by the own reproduction (direct Fitness) in addition, used the possibility with their descendant production to help (indirect Fitness). Since these organisms possess partially the same genes as the helping individual, this promotes the passing on of the own hereditary property (relative selection by its aid behavior, "kin selection"). This Altruismus is successful only then and spreads, if the use for that, which shows the altruistische behavior, is larger than the costs, which it must invest for it (Hamilton's rule).

Mathematically expressed the relationship of use must be (B) to costs (C) more largely than one divided by the degree of relationship.

{B \ over C} > {1 \ over r} and/or {r * B > C}

with B: Use (benfit); C: Costs (cost); r: Relationship coefficient (relatedness)

Example: An animal, which does without by its assistance two own descendants (C = 2), but however brothers and sisters (degree of relationship between brothers and sisters with diploiden organisms (r = 0,5) five additional descendants (B = 5) help to produce, have a higher Gesamtfitness than an animal, which does not help "egoistically".

Including the different degrees of relationship to the receiver and to the own descendants the following formula results:

{r_B * B > r_C * C}

{r_B}: Degree of relationship of the giver to receiver; {r_C}: Degree of relationship of the giver to the own descendants

The above formula contributed substantially to understand the Altruismus with social insects. Due to the unusual Haplodiploidie of social insects (ants, bees and wasps) a relationship coefficient of 0,75, with their full brothers 0,25 results with one another in the case of full sisters of a nest. With their own descendants these female workers are thus less however only to 50% (r = 0.5), than related to the sisters. As consequence it is genetically more favourable for female workers of social insects, if the queen paired itself only once, to draw own sisters up than daughters.

Unusual sex conditions

Between 1964 and 1978 Hamilton was lecturer at imperially the college London. There it published an essay in Science over "unusual sex conditions". Ronald A. Fisher had suggested a model to 1930, why the normal almost always 1: 1 is and that unusual conditions require as with the wasps an explanation. This opened a completely new Forschungsgebiet. The essay introduced the concept of the unbeatable strategy, which John and George R. Price developed May pool of broadcasting corporations further Smith to the evolutionary stable strategy ESS, a concept of the game theory, which was not only limited to evolution biology.

Hamilton was regarded as a bad lecturer. This lack did not impair the popularity of its work, since it was announced by Richard Dawkins 1976 in Dawkins book the egoistic gene.

1976 he married Christine Friess, it had three daughters, Helen, Ruth and Rowena. They could later be separated.

He was a guest professor at the Harvard university and spent later 9 months with the Royal Society and the Royal Geographic Society "Xavantina Cachimbo expedition" than guest professor to the Universidade de Paulo.

From 1978 on he was a professor for evolution biology at the University OF Michigan. At the same time he was selected as a foreign honour member of the American Academy OF kind and Sciences. Its arrival released protests and sit-down strikes among students, who did not divide its opinions into the Soziobiologie.

Hunt of the red queen

It published likewise the red queen theory of the evolution of the sexualness. This was designated after a figure in Alice behind the mirrors by Lewis Carroll. Hamilton forecast that sexualness had developed, because from it always new gene combinations resulted - the sexual organisms were again and again their parasites in relation to in the advantage.

Back in England

In the year 1980 he was selected to the member of the Royal Society, and 1984 it became Royal Society Research professor at the new college, University of Oxford, department of Zoologie, where it remained up to its death.

From 1994 he lived together with Maria Luisa Bozzi, an Italian authoress.

To the emergence of AIDS

During the 1990 years Hamilton increasingly convinced of the fact that the origin was appropriate for that AIDS epidemic disease in contaminated serum during the Polio sip inoculation (orally the Polio Vaccines AIDS hypothesis) in Africa during the 1950 years. Letters of Hamilton at Science were rejected by the magazine, under the Kage that the medical establishment would proceed against the OPV AIDS hypothesis.

Around proofs for the OPV hypothesis to receive one wanted to tighten the natural level of the Simian Immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in Primaten. In addition Hamilton with two dared itself other colleague into the war-torn democratic Republic of the Congo, where it was infected with malaria. It home was brought, spent seven weeks in the hospital before it died.

Postscript

A lay commemoration ceremony (he be a Atheist) to Saturday 1. July 2000 in the chapel of new college university Oxford hold, organize of Richard Dawkins.

Conclusion

Hamilton becomes as one of the largest evolution theoreticians 20. Century regards. Second, which could raise a requirement on this title, is Ronald Fisher, and Hamilton would leave modestly the preference/advantage to him.

Honors

• 1978 foreign honour member of the American Academy OF kind and Sciences
• 1980 member of the Royal Society of London
• 1982 Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement OF Science
• 1988 Darwin medal of the Royal Society of London
• 1989 Scientific Medal of the Linnean Society OF London
• 1991 Frink Medal of the zoo-logical society of London
• 1992/3 moving price of the University of Berne
• 1993 Crafoord price of the Swedish Academy of Sciences
• 1993 Kyoto Prize of the Inamori Foundation
• 1995 Fyssen Prize of the Fyssen Fondation

At present (2004) a biographic memorandum is prepared for the Royal Society

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