Shimmering schools of fish
Shimmering schools of fish

The secrets of swarm intelligence

On the trail of collective behaviour: In a new and fascinating video, Professor Iain Couzin and his colleagues highlight the methods that they are using to unlock the secrets behind collective animal behaviour.

How do animal collectives comprised of thousands of individuals make collective decisions within a fraction of a second? How does the behaviour of a single individual influence the behaviour of the entire group? How does the decision-making behaviour of animal collectives relate to the behaviour of human collectives?

Using captivating video recordings of immense schools of fish, flocks of birds and animal herds, the film “Lens of Time: Secrets of Schooling“ features the University of Konstanz’s current research focus, Collective Behaviour, and illustrates and discusses the technology that can be used to investigate the collective intelligence of animals, both in laboratory settings and within their natural habitats. The video was produced by Spine Films, a production company based in the San Francisco Bay Area (USA).