If you ever looked up at the sky or on the ground at birds or insects, you will see that there is often one out of sync. When one is out of sync, this means that their behavior is often classified as being the odd one out, or the loner. But, there are benefits to this loner behavior, it is brought on by evolution as a way to preserve this new type of behavior. The more that we allow some people to dip out socially from what is normal, the more loners there will be.
Key Takeaways:
- There are always individuals that don’t participate in the collective behavior — the odd bird or insect or mammal that remains just a little out of sync with the rest.
- The aggregated cell body comes with its own risks: It could get eaten by a predator or be overrun by “cheater” cells that take advantage of the slime mold’s collective behavior for their own gain.
- The loner cells might therefore serve as a form of insurance in case any of those situations transpire.
“Scientists have used slime molds to experimentally investigate the emergence and maintenance of social behavior, identifying mechanisms that ensure cooperation among the amoebas.”
Read more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/out-of-sync-loners-may-secretly-protect-orderly-swarms-20200521/
