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The Intelligence Test Where Ants Beat Humans

Season 13 Episode 17 | 14m 52s

Ant bridges, bee hives and bird flocks all show how intelligent behavior can emerge to solve impossible tasks, with no individual directing traffic. Let’s trace the history of swarm intelligence research, from Aristotle to modern computer modeling.

Aired: 02/04/26
Extras
What exactly is the evolutionary purpose of love?
If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them?
This video explores the bizarre mathematics that show how infinity is far stranger than a number.
How Gerardus Mercator later created a map that transformed navigation forever.
DNA solves crimes, but what happens when it sends innocent people to prison?
Why are stop lights red? The real story is more complicated than you think.
Joe visits a flavor lab to uncover how our senses shape our taste.
Here is the REAL science about "alpha males."
How did the mass extinction of the dinosaurs play out, moment by moment?
Think traits like eye color or tongue-rolling are simple genetics? Think again.
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What exactly is the evolutionary purpose of love?
If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them?
This video explores the bizarre mathematics that show how infinity is far stranger than a number.
How Gerardus Mercator later created a map that transformed navigation forever.
DNA solves crimes, but what happens when it sends innocent people to prison?
Why are stop lights red? The real story is more complicated than you think.
Joe visits a flavor lab to uncover how our senses shape our taste.
Here is the REAL science about "alpha males."
How did the mass extinction of the dinosaurs play out, moment by moment?
Think traits like eye color or tongue-rolling are simple genetics? Think again.