The natural world is often imagined as a system of competition where predators hunt prey, rivals vie for limited resources, and survival turns on relative advantage. At a deeper level, a quieter competition occurs within all living organisms. As the primary units of selection, genes endure insofar as they successfully replicate. Over evolutionary time, this process has shaped life from its simplest incarnations to complex organisms. Through genetic expression, morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits emerge, giving rise to survival strategies. Across scales, life unfolds under...











