Robin sez:
>> ..they only need to follow the bird in front of >> them, while keeping their position to the right or >> left behind, as the case may be. This way the motion >> of the flock leader propagates back through the >> flock. Jed sez: > Except there is no leader. Indeed! Jed has hit it on the nail. For those who are still curious about this behavior, take a closer look at some of the individual birds within these gargantuan flocks as they swirl and morph about in the air. Whomever we might presume are the dominant leader birds, their "leadership" is quickly rendered irrelevant seconds later as the entire flock changes direction. There must be some other kind of universal behavioral patters perceived within the each and every single starling that is more likely responsible for managing this collective behavior we perceive within the flock. Sometime ago researchers tried to develop accurate computer simulations of Slime Mould behavior. Initially all of their computer algorithms assumed there had to be a collection of dominant mold "cells" that must be directing the behavior of all the rest of the mold cells. Eventually, they discovered they had made an incorrect assumption. All they really needed to do was program in a few simple behavioral rules into each and every slime mould. One that was done they were able to better model the intricate web-like patterns slime mold make. What interesting about this emergent behavior is the fact that it is thought that the nerve cells comprising our complex brains also follow a collection of simple behavior rules. All the nerves cells in our brains, collectively, appear to manifest the same kind of emergent behavior that ends up giving us a sense of our own individuality and autonomy. A philosophical question we might wish to ponder is: Does every single nerve cell within our own brains possess a unique sense of consciousness, their own "self" awareness? I vote yes, they probably do however fundamental or elemental it might seem from our perspective. I'm inferring that our sense of self-awareness is actually the manifestation of a collective hive mind derived from the collective activity of all our nerve cells working together as a unit - as a brain. And if that is the case, why stop with our own brains as being at the exalted top of the food chain of consciousness? Perhaps there is no end to the pyramid of consciousness, or self-awareness. Evolution will find a way. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
