A new study reports that swarms of bees and brain neurons make decisions in strikingly similar ways. Scout bees in a swarm perform dances to prompt other scout bees to inspect a particular site. They also produce “stop signals” to inhibit the inspection dances performed by other scouts. The strength of these signals is proportionate to the size of the swarm and it allows them to communicate and reach a sound decision. This usage of stop signals in decision making is extremely similar to the way in which the nervous system functions in the brain's decision-making circuit.
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