Could fish social networks help us save coral reefs? | Mike Gil
Mike Gil spies on fish: using novel multi-camera systems and computer vision technology, the TED Fellow and his colleagues explore how coral reef fish behave ...
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Who here is fascinated by life under the sea? Fantastic. Now, what did we just do? Let's dissect this for a second. The simple action of an individual raising a hand led many others to do the same. Now, it's true that when individuals in a social network have common priorities, it's often beneficial to copy one another. Think back to grade school and dressing like the cool kids made you "cool." But copying behavior is also common in wild animals. For example, some birds copy the alarm calls of other birds to spread information about approaching predators. But could copying behavior in wild animals affect entire ecosystems that we humans depend on? I was led to this question while studying coral reefs, which support millions of people through fisheries and tour...
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Who here is fascinated by life under the sea? Fantastic. Now, what did we just do? Let's dissect this for a second. The simple action of an individual raising a hand led many others to do the same. Now, it's true that when individuals in a social network have common priorities, it's often beneficial to copy one another. Think back to grade school and dressing like the cool kids made you "cool." But copying behavior is also common in wild animals. For example, some birds copy the alarm calls of other birds to spread information about approaching predators. But could copying behavior in wild animals affect entire ecosystems that we humans depend on? I was led to this question while studying coral reefs, which support millions of people through fisheries and tour...
