wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Program Schedule

Topics


Radiolab

There is No Lord of the (Fire)Flies

Friday, February 18, 2005

click for a slideshow We begin in Thailand, watching fireflies glow in glorious synchrony, lighting up miles of mangrove trees like Christmas trees. Next...it’s off to Stanford University to contemplate the bottomless mystery of ants, a mystery which culminates in New York City’s flower market (ever wondered what ants can teach us about human cities? A lot!). We round out this segment with a beekeeper's tragic tale of insect royalty.

Slideshows:
&raquo Click here to view firefly images
&raquo Click here to view images of ants

» Steven Strogatz’s Book: Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order
» More about Fireflies
» Deborah Gordon’s Book: Ants At Work: How An Insect Society Is Organized
» Read more about Deborah's research
» Steven's Johnson's Book: Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software
» Read about Iain Couzin’s Research


Comments

  • [1] Bazooka Joe from Left Coast August 14, 2007 - 02:36PM

    Would someone be as so kind as to list the musical sources for today's show? As a matter of fact, that would be a great idea for every show.

    Thanks in advance!

    ciao,

    Bazooka Joe
  • [2] Chris from Westfir, Oregon (Middle of Nowhere, OPB Station KLCC) September 10, 2007 - 12:41AM

    This was the first Radiolab I heard... and I wanted to say... this show rocks.

    Keep up the good work!
  • [3] Andy from Philadelphia September 15, 2007 - 11:18AM

    I actually have the same question as Bazooka Joe. I want to know the name of the piece of music during the ants section. It is quite famous, but... I don't know what it is called!
  • [4] Dr. Sefcovic from Florida February 16, 2008 - 02:58PM

    This is the most intellectually provocative programming I hear. Grand stuff. Keep it coming.
  • [5] Chandler from Atlanta, GA April 22, 2008 - 12:55AM

    I'd been looking for video of he fireflies flashing in sync for months...and finally found thisd on youtube....kinda cool 15 sec video of the fireflies flashing in sync: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sROKYelaWbo&feature=related
  • [6] alexandre van de sande from rio de janeiro August 13, 2008 - 11:01AM

    I wait eagerly for every show on the podcast and since learning it will be coming only in november in five episodes i came to the site to hear older episodes.

    I love the theme of this program but I felt you left an important conclusion out of it,the simple takehome message "simple rules can create complex behavior". You filled the episode with unaswered questions, maybe for the sake of storytelling, but leaving the one big answer out of it gave a tone os mysticism to everything, as if a "invisible hand" of god was needed to make fireflies flash and ant colonies find food.

    Time and time again, simple computer games or simulations proved that all the phenomenons reported where explained by very simple rules. Ie:

    If one firefly gets in sink with just two other in the vicinity, the network effect wil be that all of them will quickly sinc. If all one ant does is follow and excrete some bits of ferophone on the ground, the end result are multiple paths leading to the right place.

    You have quickly glanced on how the ants work, but you let pass a great opportunity to teach a lesson in a field that even touches the creationist dillema, not stating the most important discovery: little things + following simple rules -> complex more inteligent system

This thread is closed.


Back to Episode