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[Slappy Moose]

quote:Originally posted by Chaos:
<STRONG>Such is the power of collective/swarm intelligence.

[ January 18, 2008: Message edited by: Chaos ]</STRONG>

It's a little scary really.

How can something with 5 brain cells organize a group of billions, then get them to actually work together and accurately and VERY efficiently design and dig out a cave city?

Kinda weird to think about.

[THLawrence]

quote:Originally posted by Slappy Moose:
<STRONG>

It's a little scary really.

How can something with 5 brain cells organize a group of billions, then get them to actually work together and accurately and VERY efficiently design and dig out a cave city?

Kinda weird to think about.</STRONG>

Actually bugs have a very high number of brain cells for their size. In addition to such a high density of brain cells the activity between cells is very high as well. This means that (relative to size) bugs are some of the smartest creatures on the plant. Then when you put a trillion of them into a single ant hill something is going to happen.

[Sularus]

well whats 5 brains cells * 10^100 or however many ants there are, i wonder if ants get smarter the bigger there colony is. If they do, they are one step above humans who get stupider with higher populations

[Armok]

The spinning !!carp!! strikes Torak in the head!  

Ants are very much like dwarves indeed, I am quite sure there are ants that make and drink booze, simply because there is so many kinds of ants that for every plausible behavior there is a kind of ant to do it. I actually know a bit about ants, not working whit them but I've read a few books on the subject.
I wonder if there are bearded ants... there probably is.

Ants are indeed very intelligent, everyone knows about the livingstock, but there are ants who use tools (they drop stones on their enemies), as you saw they have ventilation, agriculture, amazing architecture... really everything you can think of.

I don't remember the numbers but I think it is about 20% of the animal biomass that is ants.

[Kaelem Gaen]

I felt sorry for the ants, but that structure was amazing, besides, one colony out of the (Insert large number here) of colonies of that species of ant, is a worthy sacrifice in the name of science.

[Speeeedy]

The link isn't working for me  

[ January 18, 2008: Message edited by: Speeeedy ]

[Torak]

quote:Originally posted by Armok:
<STRONG>I most admit you are brave to call the god of blood an idiot, brave, but a fool.</STRONG>

Your constant roleplaying is annoying, and unnecessary.

[ilnar]

quote:Originally posted by sphr:
<STRONG>flood a fortress with magma... then pour water... then dig out everything else that isn't newly created obsidian...  yeah, we can do that too.. I don't suppose there're dwarf activists?    looked awsome mined out and in 3d visualiser

i have too much free time,,,,

[Kagus]

Here's a vid I saw a while back of a termite mound.  Some more astonishing architecture, as well as some rather creepy shots of the termite queen...

Plus, a much better narrator. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m7odGafpQU&feature=related

Insect activists?  What, because they're so endangered?

[Red Jackard]

quote:Originally posted by Torak:
<STRONG>Your constant roleplaying is annoying, and unnecessary.</STRONG>

Yes.

[Dasqoot]

quote: I am quite sure there are ants that make and drink booze

I think that's why some types of ants farm aphids and put them on leaves to feed. Leaf goes in aphid's mouth, booze comes out aphid's head, ant drinks the sweet, sweet booze...err...honeydew.

[takaratiki]

Eusocial animals of all stripes are pure Dwarf Fortress. Watching my axedwarf knock a kobold into a 5-square splatter of gore reminds me fondly of harvester ant majors excitedly wandering the open desert with the body parts of their foes still clamped on their limbs. Order and destruction, the soul of Dwarf Fortress.

[Kogan Loloklam]

Ants are quite amazing creatures, in my opinion they are only matched by humans in nature. They build HUGE cities of millions, setting up systems to support themselves in numbers larger then what should be possible to be supported in the area.

Know why I think we shouldn't pour cement down their holes?
BECAUSE ANTS SCARE THE BEJEBUS OUT OF ME!
I have been to several places in the world, know what I saw? Huge masses of ants. I've even encountered crazy mutant ants that jump and chase humans. I've seen complex road systems from ants, I've watched a colony kill a 50 year old tree IN SIX MONTHS!
Now think, what happens when you start showing the ants other tools? Here ants, see this? This is how you practice large-scale genocide on a pest.
Next thing you know, some super-mutant ant survives the insectocide and gets it into it's ant-head to do the same to us, and then we are screwed. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE MAN! You cannot escape the ants!
Our only advantage over them is our large size, but to compete, each human has to kill 1000 ants a day!
And they are so damn small, they are sure to slip by you and get you when you sleep...
So you see, if you teach an ant colony genocide, you DAMN WELL BETTER KILL THEM ALL SO NONE LEARN THE LESSON!
*Looks over his shoulder*
Oh my gosh, I think an ant is watching me... OH NO, IT'S COMING FOR ME! RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

[Necronopticous]

I'd just like to say that that video was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[Sukasa]

The first thing I thought of when I saw the core of the termite's A/C system was "WTF that's the biggest Heat Sink I've ever seen".  The second one was, "Damn my laptop needs something like that"

Still, I'd have liked to see the termite's sewage system