In the world of evolutionary research, scientists studying the evolution of eusocial societies have traditionally relied on information gathered from studying terrestrial insects. A group of Columbia researchers, however, ...
Ecology
Mar 31, 2017
0
159
Humans seeking to improve their problem-solving and survival skills can learn a thing or two from an unlikely source—songbirds.
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2017
0
30
Previous studies of flocks, swarms, and schools suggest that animal societies may verge on a "critical" point—in other words, they are extremely sensitive and can be easily tipped into a new social regime. But exactly how ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 10, 2017
2
512
The high costs of individuals going to war is perplexing. Individuals are willing to suffer costs in order to benefit their own group, through cooperating and supporting their fellow group members and acting with hostility ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 27, 2016
1
127
In their notorious battles with snakes, dwarf mongooses are more likely to help attack the enemy if they are closely bonded to the individual raising the alarm, reports new experimental research from scientists at the University ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 29, 2016
0
225
Why do social beings sometimes put their own common sense aside to follow the lead of others, even though by doing so they could be brought to death's door? Research on carpenter ants (Camponotus mus) led by Roxana Josens ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 25, 2016
0
10
Magpies do not always have the best reputation, as they are generally known for their tendency to steal shiny things. Also other bird species tested for prosociality so far turned out to be either indifferent to benefitting ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 18, 2016
0
1
As contributors to businesses, sports teams, or governments, most of us take part in some sort of group problem solving. But what is the best way to collaborate on a difficult problem like developing a budget or designing ...
Social Sciences
Oct 10, 2016
0
18
One of the benefits of living together is gaining new information from group members. Once a group member starts displaying a new behavior, it frequently spreads to the rest of the group. In a study on ravens, Cognitive Biologists ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 13, 2016
0
60
(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Leiden University in The Netherlands has found via experimentation that at least two types of birds are able to learn the rules that define abstract grammatical structures. In their ...
