It's the Matrix, but for locusts.

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  • čas přidán 16. 04. 2023
  • At the Department of Collective Behaviour, part of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, researchers are putting locusts into simulated worlds, both virtual and physical, in the hope that they can figure out how devastating swarms form and move. ■ About the Centre: www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/colle... www.ab.mpg.de/couzin
    Edited by Michelle Martin / mrsmmartin
    Thanks to David Walter for the suggestion
    This is the most uncomfortable I've ever felt while filming, for a few reasons. First, of course, because of the locust swarm itself. Second, because animal research - even on creatures as simple and pestilent as locusts - always raises ethical questions. Now, the researchers are careful with the locusts, and I don't think many people could have a problem with this. Indeed, most of the world currently has zero ethical restrictions on insect experimentation - but it's still worth interrogating whether this is okay. And finally: because if we can do this so easily to less intelligent creatures... what's to stop something more intelligent coming along and doing the same to us?
    🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
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Komentáře • 4,1K

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  Před rokem +22574

    This is the most uncomfortable I've ever felt while filming, for a few reasons. First, of course, because of the locust swarm itself. Second, because animal research - even on creatures as simple and pestilent as locusts - always raises ethical questions. Now, the researchers are careful with the locusts, and I don't think many people could have a problem with this. Indeed, most of the world currently has zero ethical restrictions on insect experimentation - but it's still worth interrogating whether this is okay. And finally: because if we can do this so easily to less intelligent creatures... what's to stop something more intelligent coming along and doing the same to us?

    • @I_love_dr_stone
      @I_love_dr_stone Před rokem +1873

      don't worry tom i wont let them do that to you

    • @blackholesun4942
      @blackholesun4942 Před rokem +304

      Because we could just communicate our patterns of society to the smarter beings and no harm would be done ? 🤔🤔

    • @Fishvap
      @Fishvap Před rokem +199

      I mean hey, if there's something more intelligent that'll take us and start experimenting on us, at that point we'd be at war, wouldn't we? 😂

    • @goatcheese4me
      @goatcheese4me Před rokem +534

      If something more intelligent comes along and experiments on us, we've already ran into bigger problems

    • @flygod.
      @flygod. Před rokem +22

      I mean human are given dominion for a reason even just from religion

  • @Cimlite
    @Cimlite Před rokem +15169

    Tom doesn't even know he's still in there. He legitimately thinks he's out and about in the world. _It's wild stuff._

    • @somark28
      @somark28 Před rokem +850

      What a quaint lad, I really enjoy him. I hope one day they let him out and about in the real world like the rest of us. Best of luck, Tom!

    • @mrshhjj8899
      @mrshhjj8899 Před rokem +486

      @@somark28 Quiet please! You're trying to interfere with our test data on Tom!

    • @motifity3416
      @motifity3416 Před rokem +168

      I support freedom for Tom! Free him!

    • @matthijsmelissen2469
      @matthijsmelissen2469 Před rokem +189

      To be fair, I think the experiment designers have taken it a bit too far recently. They've been exposing Tom to such utterly weird graphics, at some point he must be realising he's in a simulation right?

    • @somark28
      @somark28 Před rokem +89

      @@matthijsmelissen2469 the lack of awareness is actually not a limitation of the simulation but the test subject itself sadly

  • @bullet4346
    @bullet4346 Před rokem +17683

    You take the blue pill... the story ends, you wake up in your locust swarm and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill... you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the locust sphere goes.

    • @Ramonatho
      @Ramonatho Před rokem +738

      Locust Sphere... Be right back, got some songs to write for my new band Locust Sphere.

    • @lucimon97
      @lucimon97 Před rokem +630

      Can you hear that chirping Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability.

    • @RemoWilliams1227
      @RemoWilliams1227 Před rokem +23

      ​@@Ramonatho love it

    • @RemoWilliams1227
      @RemoWilliams1227 Před rokem +10

      ​@@Ramonatho swarm sphere?

    • @DragonOfTheMortalKombat
      @DragonOfTheMortalKombat Před rokem

      Morpheus, The truth is that these bees we see around ourselves are pathetic and I hate them. They spread and sting wherever they can and do you know what other creature shows this behavior?
      A VIRUS

  • @naffal1538
    @naffal1538 Před rokem +3508

    the fact that we can just decode thoughts into lines of C++ is just terrifying

    • @comparatorclock
      @comparatorclock Před rokem +176

      If that sort of thing starts happening in relation to human thought patterns, then it would only be a matter of time until the Borg are created on earth... 😱😱😱

    • @benbrook469
      @benbrook469 Před rokem +625

      it's Python not C++

    • @Happy-to3tf
      @Happy-to3tf Před rokem +171

      @@comparatorclock id gladly get a borg chip installed if itd let me run some premade workout programs while my consciousness naps or something

    • @comparatorclock
      @comparatorclock Před rokem +151

      @@Happy-to3tf I mean, that would be nice, just as long as one's individuality is kept intact. Thing is, I don't really trust that those in charge of the tech development would be willing to ensure that individuality is preserved... but then again, that could be my paranoia talking...

    • @lowcostfish
      @lowcostfish Před rokem +64

      That's not what's happening.

  • @OrangeC7
    @OrangeC7 Před rokem +170

    That little bit at the end where Tom was apparently there to see research happen in real time was amazing

  • @clamdeity
    @clamdeity Před rokem +8101

    Shoutout to that one locust who didnt even care about the marching swarm and just kept messing with the camera.
    Little dude's living it up

  • @HawkeGaming
    @HawkeGaming Před rokem +10639

    "So what do you do for a living?"
    "I glue retro-reflective tags to the backs of thousands of locusts"

    • @ThatOpalGuy
      @ThatOpalGuy Před rokem +340

      making bugs easier to see, one bug at a time.
      want to know more?????

    • @jimbob3332
      @jimbob3332 Před rokem +106

      It's not much, but it's honest work

    • @GameFuMaster
      @GameFuMaster Před rokem +38

      @@ThatOpalGuy I guess you can call it... bug detection

    • @michac3796
      @michac3796 Před rokem +32

      @@ThatOpalGuy She's doin' her part.

    • @OrigamiMarie
      @OrigamiMarie Před rokem +35

      I don't know why, but I find the bug clamps (pair of foam blocks) kinda funny.

  • @aniketlal1657
    @aniketlal1657 Před rokem +139

    The researcher in the lab coat @6:41 is so happy to see Tom gettting excited. It feels great when other people appreciate the work we do.

    • @srzsrz2049
      @srzsrz2049 Před rokem

      Jay Shree Ram!

    • @mikehydroseed1282
      @mikehydroseed1282 Před 7 měsíci

      Thanks for pointing that out, if you had not I would have missed that data in my life memory bank. Much obliged

  • @CAMacKenzie
    @CAMacKenzie Před rokem +49

    6:17 to 6:27. That behavior shown reminded me of water sloshing back and forth in an enclosed pool. I've seen this in a swimming pool after an earthquake, though it is easily creatable on a small scale in a bowl of water. Fascinating!

  • @Scroolewse
    @Scroolewse Před rokem +4700

    This video _needs_ a follow-up like a year or two from now. I am so curious to see what they'll discover.

    • @serronserron1320
      @serronserron1320 Před rokem +120

      New advertisements for hiring interns because all the other ones have disappeared

    • @adrianjagielak
      @adrianjagielak Před rokem +43

      And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords

    • @MeThePeoples
      @MeThePeoples Před rokem +78

      A year or two later: "the locusts have taken over the lab and are forcing the humans to run on the spherical treadmills"

    • @lntg
      @lntg Před rokem +11

      @JohnMosesBrowningVEVO Holy cow, didn't even clock that. You're so right!

    • @UtubeH8tr
      @UtubeH8tr Před rokem +4

      Human testing would be on the table.

  • @WryAun
    @WryAun Před rokem +3

    The whole thing was great Tom! Really fascinating stuff but the part I loved was how much you looked like someone who'd snuck backstage at a show at the end, just so excited by this brand new thing they were seeing, your genuine geeky joy is a pleasure to behold!

  • @QualisysMocap
    @QualisysMocap Před rokem +39

    What a cool application of motion capture using a Qualisys Arqus system! We are often asked 'how many bodies can you track?' In this case - 10,000, more or less 😆✔
    Thank you for sharing - always interesting to see the variety of ways our systems are used, in both big and small. 👏

  • @boewin756
    @boewin756 Před rokem +6881

    I wonder how expensive all this technology is. I trust that it’s locost.

  • @orangemonkeykiller
    @orangemonkeykiller Před rokem +4801

    I love the last little bit where Tom gets to watch the scientists in their natural habitat

  • @davidronbrothers1764
    @davidronbrothers1764 Před rokem +2

    Thank you Tom to you and your team for doing this kind of research.

  • @zenreeio13IIIlI
    @zenreeio13IIIlI Před rokem

    This is the best video you've made recently. Loved every second of it

  • @tobiasbreuer4625
    @tobiasbreuer4625 Před rokem +4428

    I love how the reseacher on the right behind tom smiles when hearing his praise for them. 6:41

    • @am7ha7
      @am7ha7 Před rokem +137

      nice catch

    • @mastershooter64
      @mastershooter64 Před rokem +156

      haha yea that was wholesome

    • @queenieevergreen
      @queenieevergreen Před rokem +120

      Loved that too ❤ It’s not everyday they’re appreciated like that, I’m sure.

    • @jackhe9374
      @jackhe9374 Před rokem +51

      @@thisisreallife9026 smh

    • @smileyp4535
      @smileyp4535 Před rokem +6

      Eagle eye! Though it could be something else but that's the best thought

  • @timothymclean
    @timothymclean Před rokem +3744

    If only Tom Scott could have set up this video so that the title randomly changed between referencing The Matrix, holodecks, and alien abductions each time someone looked at it.

    • @avfxz
      @avfxz Před rokem +30

      Nothing a beard cant fix

    • @liamdormon7822
      @liamdormon7822 Před rokem +102

      You would get instantly rate limited attempting something like that

    • @ecclesman
      @ecclesman Před rokem +4

      I second this idea!

    • @timothymclean
      @timothymclean Před rokem +180

      @@liamdormon7822 There is a reason I said "If only this was possible" and not "Why didn't Tom do this?"

    • @googleuser3163
      @googleuser3163 Před rokem +3

      Wouldn't work, rate limits.

  • @curio_sphere
    @curio_sphere Před rokem +9

    Utterly fascinating video, thank you for this! I'm so excited to see what this lab will discover and share with the world, especially as a prospective environmental management student^^

  • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721

    I'm primarily impressed by the kind of finesse and detail it takes to deal with these little things. I guess it's still easier than it'd be to build the same things on a human scale.

  • @HungVu-ec3jk
    @HungVu-ec3jk Před rokem +3468

    This is arguably the best video of recent. The topic is interesting and has a lot of implications for many fields beyond biology and its direct substudies. The camera work and close up shots are well timed and presented, Tom wrote a good script. The professor is also very detailed in his explanation but also does not obscure the topic by going into higher level concepts. Honestly he's one of the best featured on this channel

    • @idontknowman420
      @idontknowman420 Před rokem +24

      Yes, I thought so as well

    • @Valmotrine
      @Valmotrine Před rokem +28

      There is also the fact that by the time it is being recorded, a never before seen event happened.

    • @rub3s
      @rub3s Před rokem +10

      But where monorail? 😢

    • @realDonaldTrump420
      @realDonaldTrump420 Před rokem

      Toms wrong tho. Locusts don't attack healthy crops. Pesticides are a scam by the fertilizer industry. You can tell this guy eats fast food then gets vaxxed out of fear, instead of getting proper nutrition.

    • @muazqamar
      @muazqamar Před rokem +1

      @@Valmotrine What

  • @mst4309
    @mst4309 Před rokem +2195

    My friend in my biology class is terrified of insects, and when we dissected locusts he was outside doing revision sheets. I’m sure he’d love to work here

  • @kitthekat6844
    @kitthekat6844 Před rokem

    This is so cool! I'd love an update on this project later on!

  • @thefox1703
    @thefox1703 Před rokem +1

    This is really incredible stuff! I don't know which is more fascinating the Tech used for analysis or the biology(i.e., swarm intelligence of living creatures) and its potential applications.

  • @five_times_avy
    @five_times_avy Před rokem +3613

    Every time the camera cuts to a large swarm of locusts, the video quality drops immediately - and thanks to a much older video by Tom, we also know why!
    (It's been said many times before, but it's just lovely to see these concepts you're taught occur in concrete situations)

    • @Photonees
      @Photonees Před rokem +681

      It's because they are eating the bitrate

    • @vaibhavk2400
      @vaibhavk2400 Před rokem +244

      @@Photonees that’s right. Confetti, snow, locusts.

    • @coolloafofbread6462
      @coolloafofbread6462 Před rokem +75

      locust confetti

    • @ItalianJesus3
      @ItalianJesus3 Před rokem +15

      Why does it drop?

    • @YourDadWithTheMilk304
      @YourDadWithTheMilk304 Před rokem +81

      @@ItalianJesus3 I would guess simply because our devices have more detail to render, so the quality drops to make it easier for the image processor/gpu in our devices to display on our screens 🤓

  • @DauntlessDH
    @DauntlessDH Před rokem +888

    I'm both amazed and oddly terrified by this. It truly feels like something you'd see in the exposition dump at the beginning of some post-apocalypse movie.

    • @agape_99
      @agape_99 Před rokem +1

      @Mark Aspen thats a psychological war, please adapt, learn about usage limits, how to minimize dependency, solid research results about it, p*rn also hacks our brains, commercials did with the fancy toys, workd is already a place where billions (probably millions but bc u generalized to billions, i used the same metric) want their nails to be polished every week (imagine a whole industry, ask them and they will say "its our cosmetics makes us happy", bruh could it make anyone happy 100 years ago this much, see the psychological damage already?) it needs collective work i guess to not to make same mistakes we did with previous "new big things"

    • @-_deploy_-
      @-_deploy_- Před rokem +4

      Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom + The Matrix + Any other sci-fi movie

    • @KeenanV
      @KeenanV Před rokem +3

      Coming this summer, it's ... THE SWARM!

    • @lmartinson6963
      @lmartinson6963 Před rokem

      THE YEAR IS 2030. CYBORG LOCUSTS ARE USED AS CURRENCY. SOCIETY IS ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE

    • @loganwalton8952
      @loganwalton8952 Před rokem +4

      @Mark Aspen Uhh, theres only 8 billion of us how many billions are you talking?

  • @LayoffGaming
    @LayoffGaming Před rokem

    I am both amazed, and terrified.
    Great video!

  • @heribertovasquezcarrasco8888

    Remarkable! I was glued to the screen!

  • @whyjnot420
    @whyjnot420 Před rokem +1313

    The time lapse of them eating at 3:39 made me say "wow" out loud. I have seen plenty of before & after images, showing fields that have been ravaged by them. But to see them advance like infantry was something else.
    edit: Tom's face at the end when talking about the researchers coming up with new ideas right in front of him is great. Regardless of how uncomfortable he was at any other time, he looks absolutely gleeful there.

    • @TimestopEntertainment
      @TimestopEntertainment Před rokem +37

      I also love how as he is doing that, you can see the researcher behind him (to his right) look over at him with a little smirk, like his glee is infectious and they're happy to see someone so excited about it.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Před rokem +4

      It almost looks like a computer simulation, but you have to believe it when you see it's happening in real life.

  • @Chris-ok4zo
    @Chris-ok4zo Před rokem +309

    I cannot believe there is a way to combine the fear of insects and the fear of dangerous technology into one feeling. Science is something.

  • @emmettbrown3463
    @emmettbrown3463 Před 8 měsíci +2

    did NOT need that shot of pouring locusts on the camera thank you lmao

  • @safaiaryu12
    @safaiaryu12 Před rokem

    Perfect Tom Scott video. Had no idea this research was happening, but OF COURSE it is. Fascinating!

  • @markzambelli
    @markzambelli Před rokem +470

    1:55 a rare instance of seeing a scientist actually using a real spherical-cow

  • @someoneorother2758
    @someoneorother2758 Před rokem +623

    Locust: *walking slowly on a giant ball*
    Scientists: "he's starting to believe."

  •  Před 10 měsíci

    the footage in this video was profoundly terrifying. thank you, i learned a lot.

  • @meaculpamishegas
    @meaculpamishegas Před rokem

    Your titles and subject matter are some of the most enticing without resorting to being trendy

  • @meabhmurphy9090
    @meabhmurphy9090 Před rokem +693

    We had a fish matrix back at my uni. The fish were completely paralysed but they thought they were moving, and all their senses were fed false information.

    • @fim-43redeye31
      @fim-43redeye31 Před rokem +76

      This is hard to believe. How did you replicate EVERY sense?

    • @youtubesucks-yx6kk
      @youtubesucks-yx6kk Před rokem +7

      👁️👁️

    • @leyrua
      @leyrua Před rokem +99

      ​@@fim-43redeye31 I assume it was through their eyes and the electromagnetic sensory strips on the sides of their bodies.

    • @CatPlayGround
      @CatPlayGround Před rokem +50

      Don't give the elites any idea's

    • @stephaniebach__12-24
      @stephaniebach__12-24 Před rokem +56

      How do you prove the fish believed they were moving?

  • @MCraft4U
    @MCraft4U Před rokem +917

    Being a student at the same university in a different subject, I had no idea what crazy stuff they do, even though I have friends in behavioural Biology. Thanks Tom for showing me interesting stuff from my hometown (for the second time now) :D

    • @Schpaetzlemitsoss
      @Schpaetzlemitsoss Před rokem +38

      Ich hatte den Prof Couzin heute in Animal Behavior und er hat uns Ausschnitte aus dem Video gezeigt, gesagt wir sollten es mal zuhause ganz anschauen, allerdings ohne zu erwähnen dass er selber darin vorkommt😂 Grüßle ausm Biological Sciences Studiengang😂

    • @thedarknightnicht
      @thedarknightnicht Před rokem +22

      Ja auch grade gesehen als Psychologe an der Uni Konstanz. Wusste nicht dass die Biologen da so krass ausgestattet sind. Hab einfach Tom scott an der uni verpasst

    • @MCraft4U
      @MCraft4U Před rokem +11

      @@thedarknightnicht das denk ich mir auch. Richtig schade. Hätte ihn echt mal gerne in Person gesehen :D

    • @rachelspencer8887
      @rachelspencer8887 Před rokem +1

      this is how I feel when the ethical questions arise…just because we don’t yet understand how something can experience feeling doesn’t mean that creature doesn’t have the capacity to feel. When something seems different from ourselves we tend to disregard their feelings and our ethical standards.

    • @catatoblob8598
      @catatoblob8598 Před rokem +4

      ​@rachelspencer8887 the scientific consensus is that insects probably feel pain. But people also accidentally or deliberately kill dozens of insects everyday, so they're too inconvenient for us to care about.

  • @ConstantinSPurcea
    @ConstantinSPurcea Před rokem +12

    There are very few CZcamsrs that offer real value to the community. You offer real educational value. Thank you, Tom.

  • @MegaDeox
    @MegaDeox Před rokem +1082

    I have a big phobia of locusts and cricket type insects. I only listened to this video, sometimes glancing over to see a horrifying frame. This is a nightmare.

    • @delfinenteddyson9865
      @delfinenteddyson9865 Před rokem +107

      I am just thankful these weren't spiders

    • @GreggyAck
      @GreggyAck Před rokem +72

      What’s the minimum amount of money you’d take to lay down in that big white locust bowl?

    • @skrimper
      @skrimper Před rokem +11

      5:50

    • @unclesam8862
      @unclesam8862 Před rokem +22

      @@GreggyAck 10 dollars

    • @Spaceman0025
      @Spaceman0025 Před rokem +6

      ​@@GreggyAck 10000$

  • @thisusernamewasnttakensomehow

    This feels like a modern take on Plato’s allegory of the cave for bugs. Really cool

    • @DoragonShinzui
      @DoragonShinzui Před rokem +248

      Plato's Allegory of the Bug on a Ball in the Matrix was presumably lost in the Library of Alexandria.

    • @scottanno8861
      @scottanno8861 Před rokem +45

      ​@@DoragonShinzui What a tragedy. Time to discover the steam software engine they developed.

    • @imperialofficer6185
      @imperialofficer6185 Před rokem +8

      it's just like Plato guys

    • @that_one_guy934
      @that_one_guy934 Před rokem +27

      @@Sami-fg2bm You live in a cave, only staring at a wall. Behind you, there's a walkway and a light behind that. You will believe the shadows on the wall to be reality, that the shadows _are_ humans, and that the wall is all that there is.

    • @Viniter
      @Viniter Před rokem +1

      Ah yes. The original sci-fi story!

  • @jackdavenport5011
    @jackdavenport5011 Před 8 měsíci

    Getting to be there and watching a bunch of scientists make a scientific breakthrough must’ve been such a cool experience

  • @jhygdefghsd7011
    @jhygdefghsd7011 Před rokem

    Incredibly interesting! Hope to see more similar videos :)

  • @sparta117corza
    @sparta117corza Před rokem +156

    I lived on a farm in rural Australia during a locust plague, seeing these small swarms barely begins to describe the apocalyptic numbers of these insects filling the air during a plague, the insects literally coating the landscape like grass. How they billow up like clouds of smoke when you step near them.

    • @typicalwatcher1557
      @typicalwatcher1557 Před 10 měsíci +3

      I watched the documentary on Netflix with that guy and he talked about locus swarms, they're huge like in the billions and travel very fast

  • @tichu7
    @tichu7 Před rokem +514

    As a kid, grasshoppers fascinated me. In our backyard we had a huge diversity of species represented in their appearance, their flight characteristics, and their courting strategies, all relatively easy for a child to observe.

    • @GeoffCostanza
      @GeoffCostanza Před rokem +2

      Watching this video reminded me of the broad variety of grasshoppers I saw in my yard as a kid. A few decades later, and I rarely see any. I'm certain it's due to the pesticides that everybody puts all over their lawns.

    • @incognitoman3656
      @incognitoman3656 Před rokem

      @@GeoffCostanza conversely, nobody gardens anymore. This problem is noticeable also with birds of prey being so few and far between. We have a huge rabbit problem in the spring, squirrels steal bird food, and turkeys just exist in the fall. No predators. The tiniest things have no reason to be there

  • @ocelotsly5521
    @ocelotsly5521 Před rokem +18

    Tom, congratulations on this video. Moreover, thank you for publicising the amazing research. This work has the potential to be a game-changer in how poverty and pollution are tackled. And what a remarkable space to film in. Great work.

  • @AmnonSadeh
    @AmnonSadeh Před rokem +9

    The professor is so into swarms, even his shirt is about them.

  • @Idefix737
    @Idefix737 Před rokem +468

    What a fascinating series of experiments happening right in my hometown! Thanks for shining a light on it. I was the guy bothering you for a photo the day you arrived in Constance. You were probably weary of travel and I wanted to both apologise for that and also thank you for being so friendly and taking the time regardless. Keep up the good work!

    • @adrianthoroughgood1191
      @adrianthoroughgood1191 Před rokem +37

      If I saw Tom I would definitely ask for a photo. Probably everybody here would. He's an absolute legend.

    • @krishp1104
      @krishp1104 Před rokem +9

      @@adrianthoroughgood1191 I would ask him to record a 10 second clip of him introducing me as the topic of his next video

    • @pabloata4708
      @pabloata4708 Před rokem +26

      @@krishp1104 oh, the classic disrespectful person.

    • @_aullik
      @_aullik Před rokem +8

      I saw him cross the street to McDonalds in the evening (Industriegebiet) and i was really confused for a second. However decided not to drive up to him and annoy him.

    • @Idefix737
      @Idefix737 Před rokem +7

      @@_aullik Probably the right call, I felt sort of bad for it afterwards. Grüße von der anderen Rheinseite!

  • @oliverc1293
    @oliverc1293 Před rokem +223

    I work on food security and nutrition in East Africa. This is genuinely very helpful. Thanks!

    • @TippyHippy
      @TippyHippy Před rokem +15

      I put my hamster in a sock and slammed it against the furniture.

    • @l.m.l8598
      @l.m.l8598 Před rokem +3

      @@blackie126 or petsmart

    • @abdulla10955
      @abdulla10955 Před rokem +6

      @@TippyHippy Wake up Locust.

  • @OmarSamehTantawy
    @OmarSamehTantawy Před rokem +4

    I can really feel the passion and enthusiasm that professor Iain has. It's so inspiring to see someone who truly loves what they do!

  • @MrDLYouTube
    @MrDLYouTube Před rokem +2

    Oh wow, I could watch a 5 hour documentary following these guys. Really interesting! People like them are who change the world!

  • @adireloaded
    @adireloaded Před rokem +418

    how you manage to find these unbelievably insane stories that no one has ever heard of to make these amazing videos about them just blows my mind... you're such a gift to us and i love you so so much
    side note, this is absolutely HORRIFYING

    • @abbofun9022
      @abbofun9022 Před rokem +40

      Agree, suspect that by now Tom is so well known researchers reach out to him.

    • @darrennew8211
      @darrennew8211 Před rokem +32

      @@abbofun9022 Yes. He's said a few times that he got invited to go see things others don't get to see.

    • @xalaxium
      @xalaxium Před rokem +4

      terrifying*

    • @sambenjamin7515
      @sambenjamin7515 Před rokem +3

      He get's contacted

    • @LatentePhoto
      @LatentePhoto Před rokem

      read Scienze (the montly journal)

  • @erichighsmith7299
    @erichighsmith7299 Před rokem +306

    I’m also very fascinated with flocks of birds. And how sometimes they are so dense and they turn at the same time like a giant blob moving around seemingly random in the sky

    • @bikeny
      @bikeny Před rokem +24

      Back in 1958, there was a documentary on how blobs move. It's called The Blob.

    • @judet2992
      @judet2992 Před rokem +12

      That’s called a Murmuration. It’s really cool.

    • @davidgustavsson4000
      @davidgustavsson4000 Před rokem +15

      While we're here, there's a simple model that simulates murmurations quite well, search for "Boids" (as in New York for "birds").

    • @aidy6000
      @aidy6000 Před rokem +1

      except the birds arent trying to cannabalise eachother as their only source of protein

    • @BlueFlash215
      @BlueFlash215 Před rokem

      It's a birdoid. There are good videos about it.

  • @Richard_Jones
    @Richard_Jones Před rokem +1

    What a brilliant video. Also, what a creepy video. There's something about watching all those hoppers marching in lockstep that feels like the beginning to an awful sci-fi horror movie.

  • @VintageVigilante
    @VintageVigilante Před rokem

    One of your coolest and most interesting videos 🙏🤯

  • @boat378
    @boat378 Před rokem +598

    So it's a lab researching swarm intelligence? That's super interesting! Would love a follow-up in a year or so.

    • @Ithinkjustzelda
      @Ithinkjustzelda Před rokem +24

      look up the research group! They work on a ton of different animals and behaviours.

    • @TheRealInscrutable
      @TheRealInscrutable Před rokem +11

      New origin story for the Borg.....

    • @forenamesurname5326
      @forenamesurname5326 Před rokem +17

      @@TheRealInscrutable I am Locust of Borg. Resistance is futile.

    • @siliconhawk9293
      @siliconhawk9293 Před rokem +2

      @@TheRealInscrutable what is borg ?

    • @TheRealInscrutable
      @TheRealInscrutable Před rokem +11

      @@siliconhawk9293 a cultural reference to Star Trek. Borg are the ultimate horror genre villains. They kill the individuality without killing the body. They make you participate in your own enslavement and death of soul.

  • @TheZabbiemaster
    @TheZabbiemaster Před rokem +28

    02:06 Brb I'm debugging my locust

  • @itsmebougie
    @itsmebougie Před rokem

    Academia and how precise this knowledge process works is fascinating

  • @gcm4312
    @gcm4312 Před 11 měsíci +1

    this is extremely cool. thanks for sharing

  • @jrlanglois
    @jrlanglois Před rokem +46

    "What did you do today?"
    "I spent the entire day painstakingly gluing a disc to a locust, to about 10 000 locusts, by mounting each one individualy to a piece of foam -- all to track them inside of a mocap room."
    "Oh."

  • @sergiorestrepo6657
    @sergiorestrepo6657 Před rokem +86

    All of Tom's biology videos involve massive efforts into some task. It's always very impressive, always makes me go "They're really doing that". Great video.

    • @Zanaki113
      @Zanaki113 Před rokem +1

      Its weird realizing just how much is going on in the world all at the same time.

    • @WanderTheNomad
      @WanderTheNomad Před rokem +3

      @@Zanaki113 I find it relieving to know that we're not just putting all of our eggs in one basket.

  • @jamaly77
    @jamaly77 Před rokem

    Extremely fascinating research!

  • @NFSHeld
    @NFSHeld Před rokem +39

    This feels a bit like those chaotically swinging pendulums, where the periodic synchronicity of two seemingly random motions creates a self-stabilizing and -inducing feedback loop. Like 2 locusts next to each other randomly walking in the same direction for a brief moment slightly increases the likeliness of a third one joining etc. It's all probabilistic, so any individual can break out of the pattern again, but the more locusts around it are doing the same, the more likely it is for them to stay in sync. And in the end, there's some "critical mass" at which the vectorized sum of small probabilities in all various directions within hundreds of small groups locally exceeds 50% in one particular direction, and suddenly the whole swarm "snaps" in that direction.

  • @jphilb
    @jphilb Před rokem +236

    4:10 Can you imagine if all those locusts jumped up at the same time and swarmed on Tom? I'm sure he thought of that possibility.

  • @izadoks3672
    @izadoks3672 Před rokem +222

    I am really bad at handling close up shots of any kind of insect, but I'll be damned cause I'm sitting through this one! Tom, you continue to find fascinating and interesting topics along with equally fascinating people explaining them. Thank you.

  • @fullst4k98
    @fullst4k98 Před rokem

    This is one of the coolest videos you've made

  • @kelownatechkid
    @kelownatechkid Před rokem

    This is absolutely incredible!

  • @hypochondriac1
    @hypochondriac1 Před rokem +120

    The idea of swarm inteligence kinda reminds me of the wisdom of the crowd effect where the average of all guesses in one of those 'guess how many jelly beans are in this jar' games will come really close to the actual answer!

    • @gljames24
      @gljames24 Před rokem +25

      The wisdom of the crowd can be wrong tho. The jelly guess only works if no one communicates their guess. People will naturally skew their own estimate because we innately consider that other people have knowledge that we don't even when that isn't true and the other person was also guessing with no basis. This is how wrong knowledge can become entrenched into the public consciousness. The memetic transfer of information does alter this slowly over time tho.

  • @vittoprince
    @vittoprince Před rokem +327

    Is there a locust Morpheus giving a locust Neo a red leaf or blue leaf? Is there a locust Agent Smith infecting the Locust Matrix?

    • @blackholesun4942
      @blackholesun4942 Před rokem +8

      I find his matrix comparision kinda clumsy and clickbaity 😥

    • @somethingsomething7679
      @somethingsomething7679 Před rokem +3

      Technically, they're trying to find out how these locusts somehow changed in to smith locusts

    • @infinitesquarez
      @infinitesquarez Před rokem +3

      Locust Agent Smith: I *hate* this place. This zoo. This prison. This... reality - whatever you want to call it. I can't stand it any longer.

  • @Anonymus_celebrity
    @Anonymus_celebrity Před rokem +1

    This is the most interesting video in a long time, not saying the others aren't interesting, but I just loved this video

  • @BabyLPS
    @BabyLPS Před rokem +1

    Tom, felicitaciones por este video, realmente te luciste

  • @kylanacus2407
    @kylanacus2407 Před rokem +211

    I literally imagined building this same holodeck set up, but for a fish in a tank so that it could swim in an infinite ocean!

    • @Veriflon88
      @Veriflon88 Před rokem +35

      They actually do that at the same research center!

    • @sevenseven7990
      @sevenseven7990 Před rokem +3

      @@Veriflon88 bruh they need to get that tech on the market for pet fish owners

    • @bhavjotkang8004
      @bhavjotkang8004 Před rokem +1

      @@sevenseven7990 it would be the size of a swimming pool. At that point just put it in a swimming pool.

    • @triton62674
      @triton62674 Před rokem +2

      Surely the fish would just keeping bumping into the glass

    • @Yolwoocle
      @Yolwoocle Před rokem

      @@Veriflon88 do you have any article or resources about this? I'm curious to know more

  • @howitzer551
    @howitzer551 Před rokem +39

    I remember reading somewhere that some (I don't know if it's all) Locusts only become what we refer to as a true locust when they are in a swarm. I believe it has something to do with when there is more rainfall than usual more eggs are laid, and they sync up hatching (some hatch early). This means there a more nymphs crowded together and that somehow triggers them to become true Locusts instead of just big grasshoppers. If the swarming behavior has some sort of rule set like that, where just a few simple things can create a complex change then figuring it out could really help predict when a swarm can happen.

    • @Ithinkjustzelda
      @Ithinkjustzelda Před rokem +13

      That's right, the solitary version of these Locusts looks just like grasshoppers.
      The transformation is actually induced by the smell and constant touching of other locusts (so when it gets to crowded). Then the final adult stages turn into the big locusts that devastate continents.

    • @ModestMang
      @ModestMang Před rokem

      Oh so y’all believe it’s over crowding behavior?
      Have y’all heard of rat kings? Is that over crowding behavior?

  • @TheLofren
    @TheLofren Před rokem +1

    I have a massive phobia of swarms of insects after a horrifying personal experience and this was very hard to watch
    But slso vety well done and intersting, thanks tom

  • @bubbles_7910
    @bubbles_7910 Před rokem

    This is a good example of what kind of video CZcams compression handles poorly.

  • @DonnaPinciot
    @DonnaPinciot Před rokem +233

    I love weird organic-tech stuff like this, and especially brain things.
    I remember an old project simulating an entire worm's structure, and another one putting their brain in a car or something? It was weird, but so so fascinating to see them learn how to control it in real-time!

    • @andreyrumming6842
      @andreyrumming6842 Před rokem +20

      Currently working on custom hardware for large scale neural simulations. Hoping to get some middle point, where a biological brain is simulated in tech hardware, but then connected to a bio body. That way if the body starts to malfunction and organ failure or old age starts to kick in, you can save the brain and just swap to a new body. VERY MUCH a new field RN, and I'm only the custom hardware and simulation side of things

    • @sigmamale4147
      @sigmamale4147 Před rokem +56

      Surely this technology will never ever be used for nefarious purposes
      Surely

    • @solidsnake9924
      @solidsnake9924 Před rokem +18

      Yes our dystopian future is very exciting!

    • @Kaepsele337
      @Kaepsele337 Před rokem +13

      Have you seen the paper where they train brain cells (I think from a rat) to fly in a plane simulator? Ignoring the ethical issues, it's fascinating. All that you need is to punish wrong behavior with a high frequency signal and reward positive behavior with a 50 Hertz signal and the neurons will figure out how to avoid the pain.

    • @negative6442
      @negative6442 Před rokem +8

      @@solidsnake9924 dystopian future is when scientific locust observation

  • @ThatOpalGuy
    @ThatOpalGuy Před rokem +85

    seems like a good way to spend research money and a very important thing to know, considering that this will be a growing problem as the earth warms

  • @PoopVintner
    @PoopVintner Před rokem

    Wow the very last bit of the video is amazing

  • @aron5377
    @aron5377 Před rokem

    This feels both intriguing and bizarre at the same time

  • @AndiAbrudan
    @AndiAbrudan Před rokem +22

    I think this ethical question boils down to: if it's yucky, it has no rights.

    • @PlatinumAltaria
      @PlatinumAltaria Před rokem +24

      You're joking but that is actually how human brains categorise animals. The less related to us something is, the less likely we are to empathise with it. Coincidentally the less related, the less likely we are to want to EAT it too. So there's a sweet spot where we want to eat stuff (cows, chickens, etc.) whereas cultures often have misgivings about eating fish or bugs.

  • @tilleyhat-man6128
    @tilleyhat-man6128 Před rokem +272

    As a Biologist I can confirm Locusts are nuts

  • @Sam01951
    @Sam01951 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Imagine going about your daily business as a locust and you hear Tom Scott in the background.

  • @satisfiedconsumer649
    @satisfiedconsumer649 Před rokem

    I love this video! Such an interesting idea! I've always been fascinated by locusts! Keep up the good work!

  • @moderbro5608
    @moderbro5608 Před rokem +5

    “Luckily for us it turns out that eating insects is becoming an important aspect for human’s “

  • @jomialsipi
    @jomialsipi Před rokem +115

    At 6:18 the swarm movement looks like an harmonic oscillator. I wonder if the population density gradient could be influencing the swarm overall motion.

    • @Ithinkjustzelda
      @Ithinkjustzelda Před rokem +42

      thats exactly one of the questions they are trying to answer. Stay tuned for the publibations!

    • @JWooden271
      @JWooden271 Před rokem +21

      I wonder how locusts would respond to a double-slit experiment. Would they behave like waves or particles?

    • @Ithinkjustzelda
      @Ithinkjustzelda Před rokem +2

      @@JWooden271 that is also an incredibly good idea. I think they tried it. Not sure about the results tho

    • @ShadowDragon8685
      @ShadowDragon8685 Před rokem

      @@JWooden271 These people apparently have tens of thousands of locusts to burn. Propose it and they might just try it.

    • @DonkoXI
      @DonkoXI Před rokem +15

      ​@@JWooden271 They would pass through both slits simultaneously and only collapse back into a single locust upon observation

  • @ToddTevlin
    @ToddTevlin Před rokem +35

    This needs a follow up video in the future. I would love to see what their results were and what their next steps are. Thanks for this!

  • @Zeru64_
    @Zeru64_ Před rokem

    This is my favourite video in a long time.

  • @SamBrickell
    @SamBrickell Před 10 měsíci +2

    "It's the Matrix, but for locusts!"
    Movie Producer: "That has to be the worst pitch for a movie idea that I have ever heard."

  • @VideoDude6475
    @VideoDude6475 Před rokem +14

    2:18 thats absolutely scary at night

  • @adeen5438
    @adeen5438 Před rokem +5

    This is one of my favorite stories you've done for a while, great job!!

  • @Taruko-hc5jo
    @Taruko-hc5jo Před 3 měsíci +1

    Every time I saw a locus jump "YIPEEE: plays in my mind

  • @ze5258
    @ze5258 Před rokem

    This is one of you most interesting videos ever

  • @troyh544
    @troyh544 Před rokem +6

    Tom, your videos are always excellent, but this one is exceptional. This video is well told, gripping, and on multiple levels forces the audience to think deeply and productively. Thank you.

  • @sheilaross1449
    @sheilaross1449 Před rokem +47

    OK, why do I find the angle at 3:49 so entertaining? 5:16 as well. It honestly feels like something I could watch for a lot longer.

    • @hippieduck
      @hippieduck Před rokem +6

      *Strange goings-on. A Locust's POV.* 🍿

  • @kryptoniteKJ
    @kryptoniteKJ Před 3 měsíci +1

    This is going to be fascinating

  • @Thim22Z7
    @Thim22Z7 Před rokem +4

    5:30 But my lord, there is no such force!

  • @dannorris1406
    @dannorris1406 Před rokem +196

    intriguing how simply walking into this facility can change your footwear 0:19-0:21 😉 Great video as always Tom

    • @bikeny
      @bikeny Před rokem +21

      Wow, great eye. Even after you pointed it out, I had to rewatch it twice.

    • @aramos3639
      @aramos3639 Před rokem +29

      He was plugged in the moment he crossed that threshold

    • @Max_Jacoby
      @Max_Jacoby Před rokem +16

      Do not try and change the boots, that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth… there are no boots.

    • @dan_rad
      @dan_rad Před rokem +1

      Love these continuity errors. Keep up the good work!

    • @timemycollection
      @timemycollection Před rokem

      😂🙌🏾

  • @carolinefreeman4546
    @carolinefreeman4546 Před rokem +40

    I feel so itchy just watching them. I'm curious what results will come from this. I hope you can do another video in a year or two showing the findings and what the possible solutions could be.

  • @3RR0R415
    @3RR0R415 Před rokem

    love how he caught something scientifically significant in the end there that might lead to developments in understanding, and possibly help aide in finding a way to reduce the amount of crops ruined by locusts

  • @MogaTange
    @MogaTange Před 10 měsíci +7

    This is why we’re still in the matrix, the aliens cannot figure out our social interactions because neither can we