The Math and Mystery of Murmurations
If you've ever seen a group of starlings in flight, you've appreciated one of nature's most hypnotic sights -- the lava-lamp-like flow of a murmuration. SciShow ...
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[Intro] A bunch of goats is called a herd, whales travel in pods, baboons in troops, and owls in parliaments, but starlings may have the loveliest grouping of all: murmurations. Starlings are found all over the world including in North America where they were introduced in the late 1800s by a misguided Shakespeare fan who wanted to see every bird the bard ever mentioned flooding about in the New World. If you've ever been lucky enough to see a group of starlings winging across the Irish or Iowan sky, you've no doubt appreciated one of nature's most hypnotic sites, the fluid, lava lamp-like flow of a murmuration. Lots of animals move in groups of course, mainly for defensive reasons. Biologists sometimes call this the selfish herd, as large groups diminish the odds that the...
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[Intro] A bunch of goats is called a herd, whales travel in pods, baboons in troops, and owls in parliaments, but starlings may have the loveliest grouping of all: murmurations. Starlings are found all over the world including in North America where they were introduced in the late 1800s by a misguided Shakespeare fan who wanted to see every bird the bard ever mentioned flooding about in the New World. If you've ever been lucky enough to see a group of starlings winging across the Irish or Iowan sky, you've no doubt appreciated one of nature's most hypnotic sites, the fluid, lava lamp-like flow of a murmuration. Lots of animals move in groups of course, mainly for defensive reasons. Biologists sometimes call this the selfish herd, as large groups diminish the odds that the...
