Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Nature & Environment > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Nature & Environment

Do roots exhibit swarm intelligence ?

By T.K. Randall
December 13, 2010 · Comment icon 1 comment

Image Credit: sxc.hu
Scientists have suggested that certain plant root behaviour could constitute a form of swarm intelligence.
Its a similar concept to how a swarm of honey bees work together, tangled roots could process information via interaction with other roots and thus solve a problem in a way that an individual root could not.
They’re underfoot and underappreciated. But the roots of a plant may demonstrate the remarkable wisdom of crowds just as swarms of honeybees or humans can.


Source: Science News | Comments (1)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by StarMountainKid 14 years ago
Interesting. I wonder if on some other planet plants have evolved into intelligent forms of life as animals have here on earth. Anyway, it's something to think about. Also, other catagories of biological bits possibly could also evolve swarm intelligence, and perhaps develop from there. As an aside, two of my fictional Alien friends one day are reminiscing about alien life-forms they have known in the past. One says, "And I miss the intelligent slime on (some planet). You know, back then some of my best friends were slime." Look at some of the unusual biological mechanisms for life we've disco... [More]


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Top 10 trending mysteries
Recent news and articles