Secrets of the swarm - Science, News - The Independent: "Insects, birds, fish – they're not the most intelligent of beasts, right?
Creepy crawlies or aquatic creatures are the ones humans feel furthest from; unlike many mammals, they don't engage behaviour that is easy to anthropomorphise. We rarely think that an ant is endearing, see a human likeness in a starling, or signs of intelligence in a trout.
The way they swarm or flock together doesn't usually get good press either. Marching like worker ants might be a common simile for city commuters, but it's a damning, not aspirational, image. Yet a new school of scientific theory suggests that these swarms might have a lot to teach us. The way natural groups, such as ant colonies, behave can offer us problem-solving techniques applicable to business, political or social situations."
Monday, August 23, 2010
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