A scientific group from the Weizmann Institute in Israel conducted an unusual comparative study of the collective behavior of people and ants. The results of the experiment, published in the journal PNAS, showed an unexpected superiority of insects in solving complex team problems, gazeta.ru reports.
The scientists developd an experiment based on the well-known “piano-moving task” in robotics. Participants – both people and ants – had to transport a large T-shaped object through a special labyrinth with three compartments connected by narrow passages.
To ensure the purity of the experiment, people were prohibited from communicating with words and gestures. Moreover, they were given masks and dark glasses that hid facial expressions. Participants could hold the load only by special handles with force sensors – similar to how ants do it.
When performing the task individually, people showed better results than individual ants. However, in a group format, the picture changed dramatically: ant colonies demonstrated significantly higher efficiency.
The ant teams worked In a coordinated and methodical manner, showing signs of collective memory. This allowed them to stick to their chosen route and not repeat previous mistakes. At the same time, human groups were unable to significantly improve their performance by working together.
“We showed that ants act smarter as a group, and that for them the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” the authors of the discovery concluded.
