Former graduate student Dr. James Medina heads the latest paper from the lab highlighting how cheating can hurt cheaters in D. discoideum. In this system, the word ‘cheater’ often describes cells that are less likely to form stalk cells during multicellular aggregation. Instead, they rely on the altruism of other cells, while they form spores and disperse to new environments. Medina et al. found that by preferentially becoming spores, cheaters reduce stalk height to such an extent as to inhibit their ability to disperse, adding to the potential fitness cost of cheating in the first place.

Read James’ new paper here