Like flies to poop.

Dear Dr. Couzin,

Ants build bridges, fish swim in schools, locusts move in swarms, and humans both gather and repel each other. Why? Well the reasons behind such behaviour is complex, as is how such results emerge but it can be simplified down to the simple term, "swarm intelligence."

Animals live a great deal of their lives as individuals. Meaning they strive to lengthen their own lifespan, survive, and thus often do what serves their best interests. However, sometimes the most benefits are reaped when joining into a group. By moving in these swarms of thousands and perhaps millions, relatively simple animals can form a single collective brain and move as a stronger unit. Often, these behaviours are said to arise spontaneously or as if the animals' brains are all sending telepathic messages to one another. For ants, the entire colony benefits by creating a highway which brings necessary nutrition to the nest. In contrast, locusts tend to become a devastating force when the density of these flying creatures in a certain area passes a threshold. Upwards of that threshold, each locust begins to align its movements with its neighbour and their infamous attack is put into motion.

Swarm of locusts

What is interesting however, is that an individual's behaviour is governed by their own experiences. Furthermore, the individual seeks to balance 2 instincts:
1) staying with the group
2) move in a desired direction.

Most often several leaders will move the swarm in a singular direction, and these two instincts are automatically balanced. Where it becomes polar is when there are several leaders pulling the group in several directions. When this situation arises, studies show that the group will somehow reach a consensus and choose (by majority) which direction to go. This decision is made without recognizing the others' choices and even without consciously acknowledging one's own.

These trends found in the the insect can be applied to us humans although we are described as, "mediocre swarmers." But it is easy to see that people prefer to stick in groups, and though we may think our decisions are made more consciously it is not necessarily so. Our "inner swarm" -- these aforementioned behavioral patterns on a cellular level, are still very much a mystery.

This is Lillian M. Parsons reporting for Kablamo News. Over and out.

Source: NY Times Article