stigmergy

n. a process via which unorganized actions of individuals serve as stimuli to the actions of other individuals, and, in sum, result in a single outcome; a group of individuals who collectively behave as a sole entity. Subjects: English, Science

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Citations: 1959 Pierre-Paul Grassé Insectes Sociaux “La reconstruction du nid et les coordinations inter-individuelles chez Belicositermes natalensis et Cubitermes sp. La théorie de la Stigmergie: Essai d” p. pp. 41-80: La coordination des tâches, la régulation des constructions ne dépendent pas directement des ouvriers, mais des constructions elles-mêmes. L’ouvrier ne dirige pas son travail, il est guidé par lui. C’est à cette stimulation d’un type particulier que nous donnons le nom de stigmergie (stigma: piqûre, ergon : travail, oeuvre = oeuvre stimulante. 1967 M. Earl Balis, Irwin H. Krakoff, Peter H. Berman, Joseph Dancis Science (May 26) “Urinary Metabolites in Congenital Hyperuricosuria” p. vol. 156, no. 3778, p. 1123: His hypothesis of “stigmergy” is that building behavior is at first uncoordinated…when the construction at any one point reaches a certain critical density it attracts other termites topochemically. These focuses of the building material determine where the new pellets of earth used in the building are to be deposited. The constructions built thus act as new determinant stimuli for further construction. 2002 Joe Gregorio BitWorking (Dec. 30) “Stigmergy and the World-Wide Web”: The World-Wide Web is human stigmergy. The web and its ability to let anyone read anything and also to write back to that environment allows stigmeric communication between humans. Some of the most powerful forces on the web today, Google and weblogs are fundamentally driven by stigmeric communication and their behaviour follows similar natural systems like Ant Trails and Nest Building that are accomplished using stigmergy.

Posted 10 May 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend