What is Digg?40 Comments
- geoboy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27"Cockroaches govern themselves in a very simple democracy where each insect has equal standing and group consultations precede decisions that affect the entire group, indicates a new study"
Wow... sounds a lot like how Digg works! - Flashman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22You obviously haven't been to a council meeting and listened to a property developer...
- bsoric, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11So what this is saying... is that they're COMMUNISTS!
Right? Right? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10omfg, it's cockroach 2.0.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6So basically cockroaches have an optimal population to resource ratio they adhere by. I wouldnt call that democracy and I think its reaching by calling it group decision making.
I would like to see the outcome to an experiment performed using an odd number of cockroaches or varying shelter sizes - davidhalsey, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8@joshGwyther
Just because you posted this story already, and it didn't make it to the front page doesn't mean you have to be jealous.
Digg the story, and just get over it. - Tobey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Very interesting. But I can't seem to get rid of this feeling that I've just been insulted...
- McZiggz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4ya duh. same as Ants.
- dwhitbeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Actually they have little tiny voting machines.
- Civil44, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3way weird but cool
- Maverick83, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Democracy works.... as long as you aren't sentient.
- foxhoundadmin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2cockroaches can do this, but most of the middle-east can't? hmmm.
- devoinregress, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Cockroaches will overtake us eventually and rule the world. A world nuclear war will speed up the process.
- magebomb11, on 10/12/2007, -10/+12COCKAROACHES!
- Agent_M, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This makes me feel a little bad about squashing them.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3just like kevin rose fanboys
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You'd need more than a nuke and possibly even more than the old 40 days 40 nights of rain to shift some of them buggers!
- tastypastry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Does this make me the dictator?
- linkvx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4our president could learn alot from these guys
- ComputerGuru, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This isn't an April Fools joke?
- oldcyborg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So, why do I hate cockroaches, if they are so smart and cooperative??? Because they are really Fugly, thats why. And anyone who runs when you turn the lights on is something doing wrong........
Just say NO to cockroaches!! Nancy Reagan?
Cyborg
No... - DEFSMAC, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2so when we finally blow ourselves up and cockroaches inherit the earth they will have a better democracy then we do now.
- kimc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And how can we learn from this? Brain implants!
- dimplemonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1and that's why they will continue to outlive us even after we've left!
- mad1stl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anyone here seen Twilight of the Cockroaches. Good animated flick. Couldnt find on Netflix though
- user, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Yeah, those little commie bastards! Send in the robot roaches to study them so we can see if they have anything to teach us. Then we can send in more robot roaches to totally annihilate them! What is their function in the ecosystem anways!
They almost sound warm and fuzzy and friendly like the type of animals you would find in a disney movie. But they look so damn nasty! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1if there so great why do they die so easily
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1LOL. Prudes with the profanity filter turned on don't know what's being discussed.
- obiwankenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I guess that is why they when you step one them come back later it's gone. One its homey's have chirped the rest and organized the funeral.
- WayneMan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It's gotta be...
- SkrewyRebirth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I knew it all along...
- truthmachine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Here's the abstract of the research paper:
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0507877103v1
"Group-living animals are often faced with choosing between one or more alternative resource sites. A central question in such collective decision making includes determining which individuals induce the decision and when. This experimental and theoretical study of shelter selection by cockroach groups demonstrates that choices can emerge through nonlinear interaction dynamics between equal individuals without perfect knowledge or leadership. We identify a simple mechanism whereby a decision is taken on the move with limited information and signaling and without comparison of available opportunities. This mechanism leads to optimal mean benefit for group individuals. Our model points to a generic self-organized collective decision-making process independent of animal species." - wizgha, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I would have dugg this were it not for the fact that roaches are damn disgusting.
- dupy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This is "democracy?" I wouldn't go that far from the research mentioned in TFA, BUT I will say that I'm not at all surprised by the cockroaches' display of a sophisticated manner of living in a semi-autonomous society. That famous-claim that cockroaches will be one of the few survivors after a nuclear-holocaust is not without reason, after all. For this to be really possible, they will need a form of "government," to divide-up the world. From what the article says however, it appears that they would rather live within a group of optimal-size than live within a shelter which provides more space. Two groups of twenty-five each occupied 2 of the 3 shelters while leaving the 3rd empty.
... So after a nuclear-holocaust, maybe 1/3 of the earth will be cockroach free... New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, however will ALWAYS have cockroaches, holocaust or not. Further, Washington D.C. will always be inundated both by these creatures, along with those who are likened-to these creatures. - LeFrenzy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2What an amazing concept! How come our administration never thought of that idea?
Oh wait nevermind. They already placed those cockroaches under arrest due to them being a threat to "national security". - diggnationdevon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Digg.com is the last place I think I would read about this. But this is interesting lol
- gookie, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33 words:
WHO CARES?
lol - joshGwyther, on 10/12/2007, -27/+2dupe ... no digg
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