<<The>> liars of nature and the nature of liars cheating and deception in the living world

**A natural history of cheating from selfish genes to lying politicians** Nature is rife with cheating. Possums play possum, feigning death to cheat predators. Crows cry wolf to scare off rivals. Amphibians and reptiles are inveterate impostors. Even genes and cells cheat. __The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars__ explores the evolution of cheating in the natural world, revealing how dishonesty has given rise to wondrous diversity. Blending cutting-edge science with a wealth of illuminating examples—from microscopic organisms to highly intelligent birds and mammals—Lixing Sun shows how cheating in nature relies on two basic rules. One is lying, by which cheaters exploit honest messages in communication signals and use them to serve their own interests. The other is deceiving, by which cheaters exploit the biases and loopholes in the sensory systems of other creatures. Sun demonstrates that cheating serves as a potent catalyst in the evolutionary arms race between the cheating and the cheated, resulting in a biological world teeming with complexity and beauty. Brimming with insight and humor, __The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars__ also looks at the prevalence of cheating in human society, identifying the kinds of cheating that spur innovation and cultural vitality and laying down a blueprint for combatting malicious cheating such as fake news and disinformation. Contents Chapter 1 Liar, Liar, Everywhere Chapter 2 Hackers and Suckers in Communication Chapter 3 Nature’s Eavesdroppers, Impostors, and Con Artists Chapter 4 Infidelity and the Rise of Honesty Chapter 5 Catalyst for Innovation Chapter 6 Cheating in Humans Chapter 7 Liars Who Lie to Themselves Chapter 8 Living with Lies and Deceptions Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index