It’s the Matrix, but for locusts.

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: https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/ https://www.ab.mpg.de/couzin
Edited by Michelle Martin https://www.youtube.com/@OnTheCrux
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?
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@TomScottGo
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
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?
@joshuabernal7099
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Sure, "Animal feed"😂
@JonasHamill
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
The fascinating thing about locusts is that they are grasshoppers. Then if the environment changes a certain way, they undergo polymorphism which can last generations.
@burttoast6954
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
50 buck they got a Director Schmector on their team
@shoebox6741
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
dear God……
@jwhite5947
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
self.animal=666 in the code. ha.
@artofantonsfeduns4172
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
the content is great althrough the spine cord attached to a computer was quite unsettling
@kryptoniteKJ
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
This is going to be fascinating
@hojibignon
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
u vill eat ze bugs
@bide2505
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
JUrrasic world Dominion 😮
@Green7JR
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Like popcorn 🍿
@sizzlet01
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Theres been concerns about the ethics of testing on insects, but the general consensus is…
They're insects.
@RealAceGaming
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
It seems that there are abusing Locusts.
@josephgarza4389
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Sometimes we forget that these environmental phenomena are still at work within our world when we only remember this happening in history. Spreading awareness of this issue will certainly inspire farming researchers to explore this issue.
@osmanyousaf7866
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
so human are breeding locust as food? Insects that are known for eating human food and cause 10% of the world starvation? I really don´t know what to think about the irony and danger of it!
@RevelationOne
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Did this dude just say eating insects is becoming an important aspect for humans? So WEF Klaus Shwab meant it when he said we will eat zhe bugs and it isn't just a conspiracy no more?
@Bill-c1pher
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
This is what Jurassic world dominion but it’s the matrix would look like
@Taruko-hc5jo
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Every time I saw a locus jump "YIPEEE: plays in my mind
@geraldtheoctopus1594
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Average multi-player teammate.
@XUtionerx
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
That swarm pattern is interesting
@LeZergan
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Oops
@bobbybigballs4038
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Someone gonna play DOOM on a locust neural network
@NotFunctional-ever
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Elon took some heavy notes on this…
@bystander9028
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Jan Hendrick schōn
That's right. 0:02
@Speedy_dew
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Its an interesting video but it still give me the jitters watching so many of them moving about
@brentschellekens4151
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Cyberpunk locust being plugged into the matrix
@arturzimplayerpro2573
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
D:
@williamdiffin28
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
As if the locusts haven't noticed that they're in a laboratory. As if the privileged so-called researchers can ever learn anything meaningful about locusts' behaviour by torturing them i.e. whilst having no empathy with them at all. As if their qualification is ever founded on anything beyond being incapable of empathy and thereby able to happily persecute defenceless creatures. The only reason they do it is because they're not allowed to persecute defenceless human beings yet.
I think that subsistence farmers plagued by locusts will be as little impressed with these crude irrelevant experiments as the locusts themselves.
@Calvarydima
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
А вы ржали про военных комаров.
Я уже не удивлюсь
@reyhanhussain6082
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
I always have this question in my mind how far can they fly asuming they take periodic rest and feed ?
@Lard25Ukr
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
They are jumping so funny 🙂
@Dushmann_
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
i love how open and forthcoming they are about "eat ze bugs" now after the media said it was just a conspiracy theory
@skateindys
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
tom got that dumpy frfr
@Bunny-iq2
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Idk what's this all stuff
But may be it's the thing that teachers called "ROCKET SCIENCE " in schools
@TheXello
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
This is what happens when you mess with humans. You get out into the matrix.
@名取禎
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
no stop. We have to destroy that before matrix will be real
@tdawgg6561
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Behold, The Torment Nexus!
@Tilpur
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
1:40 me after locostbotamy
@The_the_Levi
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
aliens
@griffinschreiber6867
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
The interviewed scientist's shirt appears to be a reference to Boids, a flock simulation program developed by Craig Reynolds in 1986.
@aubreypotter96
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Them: these things will eat everything. Me: boing
@Monkeman-dg3rn
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
uggh just imagine falling into that pit of those creepy things
@Ebthoes
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
They couldn’t do experiments with humans anymore so they use bugs
@toaster7356
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
mr locust
@MenaPod
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Locust Euphoria
@NoobNoob1986
October 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Money that could be better spent making locasts taste like chicken