Description

Is this the highest level of evolution?
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​​Evolution is survival of the fittest… or is it? We’re exploring a bizarre life form where thousands of individuals act as one, sacrificing everything for the group. They operate with a single will, a unified consciousness that blurs the line between individuals. This is the superorganism, and we’re uncovering how this ultimate collaboration re-writes the laws of nature itself.



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1:37 What Is a Superorganism?
4:42 Survival of the Fittest
8:03 Honeypot Ants
10:27 Ant Fungus Farms
12:00 Giant Termite Queens
13:08 Social Immunity: Honeybees
15:27 Honeybee Hygiene
18:17 Social Distancing
22:39 Super Communication
23:13 Waggle Dance
25:12 Naked Mole Rat Chats
27:55 Super Consciousness?
30:09 The Human Superorganism?



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Check out the other Astrum channels for videos about space and astronomy:
Astrum: https://www.youtube.com/@astrumspace
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Astrum Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jPRrbq3o3dpvBb173ZTKi?si=a90d3efe3b704c83



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References:
“The ant-colony as an organism”, via wiley.com https://bit.ly/MortonWheeler
“Principles of Social Evolution”, via oup.com https://bit.ly/socialevo
“An Introduction to Eusociality”, via nature.com https://bit.ly/eusocialityintro
“One Giant Leap: How Insects Achieved Altruism and Colonial Life”, via oup.com https://bit.ly/insectaltruism
“What is a honeypot ant?”, via sciencefocus.com https://bit.ly/anthoneypots
“How Ants Became the World’s Best Fungus Farmers”, via smithsonianmag.com https://bit.ly/fungusfarmers
“What is An Organism? An Immunological Answer”, via philarchive.org https://bit.ly/immunologysuperoganism
“Social immunity and the evolution of group living in insects”, via royalsocietypublishing.org https://bit.ly/socialimmunitybees
“Social Immunity and the Superorganism”, via unl.edu https://bit.ly/superorganismimmunity
“The honeybee waggle dance: can we follow the steps?”, via cell.com https://bit.ly/honeybeewaggledance
“Hearing and Vocalizations in the Naked Mole-Rat”, via springer.com https://bit.ly/vocalizationsNMR
“Theory of Mind”, via sciencedirect.com https://bit.ly/thetheoryofmind



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Credits
Narrator: James Stewart
Producers: Alex McColgan, James Stewart
Writer: Edie Abrahams
Video Editor: Gail Colville
Animator: Peter Sheppard
Researcher: Edie Abrahams
Thumbnail Designer: Peter Sheppard
Channel Manager: Georgina Brenner
Creator: Alex McColgan



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#AstrumEarth #Astrum #Superorganisms