Hello and welcome to Mysteries of Science. My name's Dan and I'm the editor of The Week Junior Science and Nature, which is the monthly magazine from the team behind the week junior.

And I'm Michael the features editor. On this podcast, we investigate weird events, strange creatures and mysterious places.

Now, Michael, we're recording this in the morning and you've

told me, I've heard that you haven't had your breakfast. No, I'm very, very hungry. It's not a good

plan. Got to eat properly. It's most important meal of the day. Yes, exactly. Well,

why don't you have this here? My cereal bar. I brought it in to have as a snack for later, but, you know, if it helps, you can have it.

That is very altruistic of you, Dan. Sorry, that's very, very what? Altruistic.

You're going to have to explain that one for me, I'm afraid.

What's altruistic mean?

Well, altruism is when you do something kind for somebody, even if it comes at a cost to yourself.

Now, many animals do this in the animal kingdom, and it is perplexed scientists for years,

because after all, we're told that nature is a brutal battle for survival

and if so then why be nice? Why be nice? Well that's a very good question and I think we ought to

speak to some very kind scientists to help us find the answers to that. This is Mysteries of Science.

So Dan, altruism. Where do we start?

Well, Michael, you have a very good go at describing what it was in the intro app. Really help me understand it. But if we talk to some experts, they might help us define it in perhaps more scientific terms.

So, hi, I'm I'm Irena Gatia Ridd, and I'm a biologist, specialised in animal behavior.

And I'm a researcher currently at Columbia University in New York City.

Hi, Irena. Tell me, please, tell us all. What's altruism? So when we talk about

altruism, we talk when an organism and an individual helps others, even at a cost or risk to itself.

So, for instance, when we look at humans, a cost can be money, but also time investment or even risking our own life.

So it basically is something that benefits others and it has a cost to ourselves.

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