biology

Jacobus Boomsma

Jacobus Boomsma is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jacobus Boomsma rather than just read about it. In short: Jacobus Jan "Koos" Boomsma (born 1951) is a Dutch evolutionary biologist who studies social evolution and the evolution of mating systems. Education Boomsma obtained an MSc and PhD degree in biology in 1976 and 1982 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Key takeaways

Jacobus Boomsma belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jacobus Boomsma to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jacobus Boomsma from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jacobus Jan "Koos" Boomsma (born 1951) is a Dutch evolutionary biologist who studies social evolution and the evolution of mating systems.

Education Boomsma obtained an MSc and PhD degree in biology in 1976 and 1982 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Career Boomsma directs the Centre of Social Evolution and works as a professor of biology at the University of Copenhagen. He had done important work on ants of the genus Atta. He is known most recently for the monogamy hypothesis, which states that strict lifetime monogamy enabled the evolution of eusociality in the Hymenoptera (bees, ants, wasps, etc.). He has also lent influential contributions to the fields of mutualisms and sexual conflict and heads research programmes in evolutionary medicine, invasive social syndromes and fungal agriculture. He is a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jacobus Boomsma

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jacobus Boomsma claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jacobus Boomsma before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jacobus Boomsma ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jacobus Boomsma

In research: Jacobus Boomsma appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jacobus Boomsma in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jacobus Boomsma is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1951 births, Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen, Dutch biologist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jacobus Boomsma outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Jacobus Boomsma” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Jacobus Boomsma in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jacobus Boomsma means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jacobus Boomsma out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jacobus Boomsma in simple terms?

Jacobus Jan "Koos" Boomsma (born 1951) is a Dutch evolutionary biologist who studies social evolution and the evolution of mating systems. Education Boomsma obtained an MSc and PhD degree in biology in 1976 and 1982 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Why does Jacobus Boomsma matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jacobus Boomsma?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jacobus Boomsma.