Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature
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foraging

ants
Photo credit: Rommel1999, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Can Algorithms Designed by Humans Catch Up with the Genius of Biological Systems?

While humans invented algorithms only within the last century, enabling the development of AI, animals exhibit behavioral algorithms that long predate humans. Read More ›
turtle ant
Photo: Cephalotes atratus, a turtle ant, by Eduardo Estrada, Wildlife & Conservation Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ant Navigation Fascinates Engineers

Eric Cassell asks, “How did these complex programmed behaviors originate?” The question deserves a better answer than, “They evolved.” Read More ›
harvester ants
Photo credit: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Irreducible Complexity in Ant Behavior Triggers a Recognition of Intelligent Design

Recent research draws an unapologetic parallel between human engineering and biological systems. Read More ›
leafcutter ants
Photo: Leafcutter ants, by Pjt56, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Yes, Ants Think — Like Computers

Computer programmers have adapted some ant problem-solving methods to software programs (but without the need for complex chemical scents). Read More ›
black garden ants
Photo: Black garden ants, by Katja Schulz from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Animal Algorithms: Ant Foraging Is a “Rational” Behavior

Of course, ants and other animals do not make decisions in a “conscious” manner as humans would. Instead they rely on algorithms. Read More ›
Armillaria_ostoyae_MO
Photo credit: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Not Just Plants — Even Fungi Like Mushrooms — Talk to Each Other?

They are NOT judging us but they do have complex communications systems interacting with their environment. Read More ›
Harvester_ant_hole
Photo: Harvester ants at the entrance to their nest, via Wikimedia Commons.

To Regulate Foraging, Harvester Ants Use a (Designed) Feedback Control Algorithm

These elements of harvester ant behavior present a severe challenge for the evolutionary paradigm. Read More ›
harvester ants
Photo: Harvester ants, by Donkey shot, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ants Use Algorithms Similar to Those of the Internet

Optimization algorithms enable the ant colony to decide how many ants to send to a given food source and when to drastically reduce the number. Read More ›

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