From cooperation to predation: the evolutionary origins of phagocytosis
Josephine Solowiej-Wedderburn, Alfred Leimar, Christopher P. Kempes, Jordan G. Okie, Eric Libby
This study uses a dynamical systems framework to show phagocytosis can evolve from cooperative microbial communities and coexist with original cooperators under specific ecological conditions.
bioRxiv · Oct 9, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology