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Updated: Feb 18, 2026
03:32
Author Spotlight: Collective Behavioral Analysis of the Nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: August 25, 2023
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Life as an emergent phenomenon: studies from a large-scale boid simulation and web data
Takashi Ikegami1, Yoh-Ichi Mototake2, Shintaro Kobori3
1Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguroku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan ikeg@sacral.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Summary
Large, structured groups foster emergence and innovation. Analyzing boid simulations and web data reveals that complex networks generate novelty and collective intelligence, challenging random origin theories.
Area of Science:
- Complex Systems
- Collective Intelligence
- Network Science
Background:
- The origins of complex phenomena and innovation are often attributed to random processes.
- Understanding how large, structured groups generate novel outcomes is a key scientific question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that large, structured groups are central to emergence.
- To explore the role of network structure in generating novelty and collective intelligence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of large-scale boid flock simulations to observe group dynamics.
- Examination of large web data, specifically tagged photos, to analyze network structures and tag generation.
Main Results:
- Larger boid flocks exhibited more diverse nucleation, organization, and collapse dynamics.
- Web data analysis revealed core-periphery network structures driven by user similarity.
- Novel tag generation and usage were highest in higher-order network cliques, indicating structured, non-random novelty.
Conclusions:
- Large, structured networks, not random chance, are sources of innovation and novelty.
- These findings offer a new perspective on collective intelligence and the adjacent possible theory.
- Excessive information and material flow within structured networks can drive innovation.
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