Red King hypothesis
The Red King Hypothesis is a scientific idea that suggests in a world where lots of different creatures are competing against each other for survival, sometimes even creatures that look very different may have to work together to stay alive. Think of it like a big playground where everyone is competing to be the best, but sometimes the best tactic is to form a team with someone who is different from you.
An example of this could be a tiny bird that lives near a big predator like a lion. The bird is small, but it's very good at spotting danger, and if it sees the lion coming, it will chirp and make a lot of noise to alert other nearby creatures. Even though the lion might be able to eat the bird, it doesn't because the bird is helpful to it by letting it know if danger is nearby. So even though the bird and lion are very different creatures, they are both helping each other to survive.
Scientists think this is called the Red King Hypothesis because it's like in a game of chess where if two Kings on opposite sides of the board both come under attack, they might decide to work together to protect each other, even though they are opponents. So, even though different creatures may seem like they are in competition with each other, sometimes they can work together to survive, just like in a game of chess.
An example of this could be a tiny bird that lives near a big predator like a lion. The bird is small, but it's very good at spotting danger, and if it sees the lion coming, it will chirp and make a lot of noise to alert other nearby creatures. Even though the lion might be able to eat the bird, it doesn't because the bird is helpful to it by letting it know if danger is nearby. So even though the bird and lion are very different creatures, they are both helping each other to survive.
Scientists think this is called the Red King Hypothesis because it's like in a game of chess where if two Kings on opposite sides of the board both come under attack, they might decide to work together to protect each other, even though they are opponents. So, even though different creatures may seem like they are in competition with each other, sometimes they can work together to survive, just like in a game of chess.