Natures wonders: ant foraging mimics TCP (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, May 07, 2016, 11:44 (3120 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: And it seems to me perfectly possible that they developed the original algorithms as well. Or did/does God have to put every algorithm into their heads? - DAVID: It is still the issue of how do instincts develop and enter DNA for future reference? - I don't know where we draw the line between learned behaviour and instinct. If I burn my hand, I will instinctively pull it away from the fire. But if I need to go hunting, I will have to be taught what to do. I would suggest that the ants' foraging is more like learned behaviour than instinct, and we know how well ants communicate. Perhaps once a particular system or strategy proves successful, it is passed on from generation to generation as the way things are done. Isn't that how human society functioned until we became so self-aware that we started to question everything? If you can tell us exactly how DNA stores experiences, memories and information and then passes them on to future generations, you will certainly beat me to that Nobel Prize!