The smart swarm : how understanding flocks, schools, and colonies can make us better at communicating, decision making, and getting things done

What ants, bees, fish, and smart swarms can teach us about communication, organization, and decision-making The modern world may be obsessed with speed and productivity, but twenty-first-century humans actually have much to learn from the ancient instincts of swarms. A fascinating new take on the concept of collective intelligence and its colorful manifestations in some of our most complex problems, The Smart Swarm introduces a compelling new understanding of the real experts on solving our own complex problems relating to such topics as business, politics, and technology. Based on extensive globe-trotting research, this lively tour from National Geographic reporter Peter Miller introduces thriving throngs of ant colonies, which have inspired computer programs for streamlining factory processes, telephone networks, and truck routes; termites, used in recent studies for climate-control solutions; schools of fish, on which the U.S. military modeled a team of robots; and many other examples of the wisdom to be gleaned about the behavior of crowds-among critters and corporations alike. In the tradition of James Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds and the innovative works of Malcolm Gladwell, The Smart Swarm is an entertaining yet enlightening look at small-scale phenomena with big implications for us all. Draws On The Examples Of Insect Colonies And Fish Schools To Demonstrate How Ancient Animal Instincts Surpass Modern Human Developments In Speed And Productivity, Revealing How Numerous Technological Breakthroughs Were Inspired By Natural Organizations. Ants: Who's In Charge Here? -- Honeybees : Making Smart Decisions -- Termites : One Thing Leads To Another -- Birds Of A Feather : Secrets Of Flocks, Schools, And Herds -- Locusts : The Dark Sides Of Crowds -- Doing The Right Thing. Peter Miller. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Ants: who's in charge here? Honeybees : making smart decisions Termites : one thing leads to another Birds of a feather : secrets of flocks, schools, and herds Locusts : the dark side of swarms Conclusion.