🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 12 (from laksa176)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa012.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html","crawl_time":1773884232,"first_indexed_time":1484586445,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"org,phys!\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html s443","src_root_hash":"5200908481159124812","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together","meta_descriptions":["(PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Inspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio.\n(PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison.\nThe phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science.\nIn a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of\nPhysical Review Letters\n.\n“Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told\nPhysOrg.com\n. “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.”\nIn their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit.\nThe scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths.\nThe researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions.\n“The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.”\nRomanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and\/or difficult to access.\n“Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.”\nMore information\n: Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.”\nPhysical Review Letters\n102, 010602 (2009).\nCopyright 2008 PhysOrg.com.\nAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com.\nCitation\n:\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 18 March 2026\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html\nThis document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.","attrs_markdown":"[![Phys.org](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/logo-header.png)](https:\/\/phys.org\/)\n\nTopics\n\n- [Week's top](https:\/\/phys.org\/weekly-news\/)\n- [Latest news](https:\/\/phys.org\/latest-news\/)\n- [Unread news](https:\/\/phys.org\/unread-news\/)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html)\n### Science X Account\n\n- [Nanotechnology](https:\/\/phys.org\/nanotech-news\/)\n- [Physics](https:\/\/phys.org\/physics-news\/)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/phys.org\/earth-news\/)\n- [Astronomy & Space](https:\/\/phys.org\/space-news\/)\n- [Chemistry](https:\/\/phys.org\/chemistry-news\/)\n- [Biology](https:\/\/phys.org\/biology-news\/)\n- [Other Sciences](https:\/\/phys.org\/science-news\/)\n- [![Medical Xpress](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/MedicalXpress2.svg) Medicine](https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/)\n- [![Tech Xplore](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/techX_w.svg) Technology](https:\/\/techxplore.com\/)\n\n- share this\\!\n- [Share]()\n- [Tweet](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html)\n- [Share](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html)\n- [Email](mailto:)\n\n1. [Home](https:\/\/phys.org\/)\n2. [Physics](https:\/\/phys.org\/physics-news\/)\n3. [General Physics](https:\/\/phys.org\/physics-news\/physics\/)\n***\nJanuary 23, 2009  [feature](https:\/\/phys.org\/editorials\/)\n\n# Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together\nby [Exclusive](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/editorial-team\/#authors), Phys.org\n\n[Add as preferred source](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https%3A%2F%2Fphys.org%2F)\n***\n\n![Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together](https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2009\/locustswarm.gif)\n\nInspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio.\n\n(PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison.\n\nThe phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science.\n\nIn a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of *Physical Review Letters*.\n\n“Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told *PhysOrg.com*. “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.”\n\nIn their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit.\n\nThe scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths.\n\nThe researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions.\n\nDiscover the latest in science, tech, and space with over **100,000 subscribers** who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our [free newsletter](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/) and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter—**daily or weekly**.\n\n“The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.”\n\nRomanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and\/or difficult to access.\n\n“Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.”\n\nMore information: Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.” *Physical Review Letters* 102, 010602 (2009).\n\n*Copyright 2008 PhysOrg.com.  All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com.*\n\n**Citation**: Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23) retrieved 18 March 2026 from https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html\n\nThis document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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Researchers at KAIST have discovered a new phenomenon: Removing \"circular RNA\" that accumulates ...\n\nCell & Microbiology\n\n2 hours ago\n\n0\n\n0\n\n[![](https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/175u\/2026\/ai-rebuilds-molecules.jpg)](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-03-ai-rebuilds-molecules-fragments.html)\n\n### [AI rebuilds molecules from exploding fragments](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-03-ai-rebuilds-molecules-fragments.html)\nResearchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and collaborating institutions recently built a generative AI model that can recreate molecular structures from the movement of the molecule's ...\n\nOptics & Photonics\n\n5 hours ago\n\n0\n\n4\n\n[![](https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/175u\/2026\/how-two-dim-stars-came.jpg)](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-03-dim-stars-brightly.html)\n\n### [How two dim stars came together to shine brightly](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-03-dim-stars-brightly.html)\nBrown dwarfs get a bad rap in the stellar world, often labeled as \"failed stars\" for their inability to sustain nuclear fusion at their cores. 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[Full disclaimer](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/ai-disclaimer\/)\n##### Let us know if there is a problem with our content\n###### E-mail the story\n##### Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together\n\n#### Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience\nWe keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.\n\n[Remove ads](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/donate\/?utm_source=phys&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=popup)\n\n[Maybe later](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html)\n\n[![Medical Xpress](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/MedicalXpress.svg) Medical Xpress Medical research advances and health news](https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/)\n\n[![Tech Xplore](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/techexploer.svg) Tech Xplore The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances](https:\/\/techxplore.com\/)\n\n[![Science X](https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/ScienceX.svg) Science X The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/)\n\n## Newsletters\n## Follow us\n\n- [Top](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html)\n- [Home](https:\/\/phys.org\/)\n- [Search](https:\/\/phys.org\/search\/)\n- [Mobile version](https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html?deviceType=mobile)\n\n- [Help](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/)\n- [FAQ](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/contactus\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/about-us\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/feedback\/)\n\n- [Support us](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/donate\/)\n- [Science X Account](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/profile\/)\n- [Archive](https:\/\/phys.org\/archive\/)\n- [News wire](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/wire-news\/)\n\n- [Android app](https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.PhysOrg.RssLite)\n- [iOS app](https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/phys-org\/id356443503?mt=8)\n- [RSS feeds](https:\/\/phys.org\/feeds\/)\n- [Push notification]()\n\n© Phys.org 2003 - 2026 powered by [Science X Network](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/)\n\n[Privacy policy](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/privacy\/) [Terms of use](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/terms\/)\n\n#### E-mail newsletter\n#### Follow us\n\n[It appears that you are currently using **Ad Blocking software**. What are the consequences?](https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/adblock\/)\n\n×\n\n![Quantcast](https:\/\/pixel.quantserve.com\/pixel\/p-5dNhPAnM9r0yY.gif)","attrs_readable_markdown":"![Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together](https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2009\/locustswarm.gif)\n\nInspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio.\n\n(PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison.\n\nThe phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science.\n\nIn a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of *Physical Review Letters*.\n\n“Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told *PhysOrg.com*. “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.”\n\nIn their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit.\n\nThe scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths.\n\nThe researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions.\n\n“The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.”\n\nRomanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and\/or difficult to access.\n\n“Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.”\n\nMore information: Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.” *Physical Review Letters* 102, 010602 (2009).\n\n*Copyright 2008 PhysOrg.com.  All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com.*\n\n**Citation**: Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23) retrieved 18 March 2026 from https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html\n\nThis document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together
Meta Description	(PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison.
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Boilerpipe Text	Inspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio. (PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison. The phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science. In a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters . “Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told PhysOrg.com . “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.” In their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit. The scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths. The researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions. “The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.” Romanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and/or difficult to access. “Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.” More information : Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.” Physical Review Letters 102, 010602 (2009). Copyright 2008 PhysOrg.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com. Citation : Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23) retrieved 18 March 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Markdown	[![Phys.org](https://phys.b-cdn.net/tmpl/v6/img/logo-header.png)](https://phys.org/) Topics - [Week's top](https://phys.org/weekly-news/) - [Latest news](https://phys.org/latest-news/) - [Unread news](https://phys.org/unread-news/) - [Subscribe](https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html) ### Science X Account - [Nanotechnology](https://phys.org/nanotech-news/) - [Physics](https://phys.org/physics-news/) - [Earth](https://phys.org/earth-news/) - [Astronomy & Space](https://phys.org/space-news/) - [Chemistry](https://phys.org/chemistry-news/) - [Biology](https://phys.org/biology-news/) - [Other Sciences](https://phys.org/science-news/) - [![Medical Xpress](https://phys.b-cdn.net/tmpl/v6/img/MedicalXpress2.svg) Medicine](https://medicalxpress.com/) - [![Tech Xplore](https://phys.b-cdn.net/tmpl/v6/img/techX_w.svg) Technology](https://techxplore.com/) - share this\! - [Share]() - [Tweet](https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html) - [Share](https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html) - [Email](mailto:) 1. [Home](https://phys.org/) 2. [Physics](https://phys.org/physics-news/) 3. [General Physics](https://phys.org/physics-news/physics/) * January 23, 2009 [feature](https://phys.org/editorials/) # Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together by [Exclusive](https://sciencex.com/help/editorial-team/#authors), Phys.org [Add as preferred source](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=https%3A%2F%2Fphys.org%2F) * ![Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2009/locustswarm.gif) Inspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio. (PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison. The phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science. In a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters. “Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told PhysOrg.com. “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.” In their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit. The scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths. The researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our [free newsletter](https://sciencex.com/help/newsletter/) and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter—daily or weekly. “The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.” Romanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and/or difficult to access. “Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.” More information: Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.” Physical Review Letters 102, 010602 (2009). Copyright 2008 PhysOrg.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com. Citation: Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23) retrieved 18 March 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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Readable Markdown	![Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2009/locustswarm.gif) Inspired by recent research on locust swarms, scientists have used Brownian motion to model how individuals form swarms through escape and pursuit interactions. Image credit: Quarkfolio. (PhysOrg.com) -- How do thousands of fish swim together in giant schools, seemingly moving as a single body? Flocks of birds, herds of beasts, and a variety of other animals in nature seem to share this same “property” of coming together and moving in unison. The phenomenon, called collective motion, is common in nature, exhibited by groups that fly, run, and swim, such as swarms of insects and colonies of bacteria. In collective motion, groups move together to form patterns as an organized (but not necessarily cooperative) single body. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what mechanisms cause the emergence of collective motion. However, the natural phenomenon has attracted the interest of researchers in diverse fields such as physics and computer science. In a recent study, researchers have modeled collective motion using Brownian particles, and they observed as individual particles interact via escape and pursuit movements. Motivated by a previous study that observed cannibalistic interactions in locust and cricket swarms, the scientists found that both escape and pursuit movements can cause collective motion, but escape movements dominated the particular case of insect swarming. Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier of Humboldt University Berlin, and Iain D. Couzin of Princeton University, have published their study in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters. “Our work can be considered as a link between the simplest models of collective motion with a general (not further specified) velocity alignment interaction and more complicated models from biology based on behavioral rules,” Romanczuk told PhysOrg.com. “By assuming that the escape and pursuit are the actual behavioral responses of individuals underlying collective motion in nature, it is possible to determine which one of these responses dominates the individual behavior by simply looking at the global migration patterns.” In their study, the researchers modeled an individual as a Brownian particle that possesses internal energy so that it can move at various speeds in reaction to external stimuli. In Brownian motion, a solitary individual explores its environment by a continuous random walk. If approached from behind by another individual, the individual in question escapes by increasing its velocity in the forward direction to prevent getting attacked from behind. If the individual senses another individual in front moving away, it pursues that individual, increasing its velocity toward the escapee. In short, an individual has two movements: escape and pursuit. The scientists found that, at sufficiently high particle densities, the escape and pursuit interactions can both lead to global collective motion. Interestingly, each interaction by itself has a different effect on the particle distribution. In general, escape interactions homogenize and spread out the particle distribution, while pursuit interactions facilitate the formation of clusters. Overall, the combined escape and pursuit interactions seem to consist of a competition between two opposing effects, in which the outcome is determined by the relative interaction strengths. The researchers suggest that the Brownian model can help explain the mechanisms behind a wide range of swarming phenomena in nature, from marching insects to schools of fish. Different kinds of swarm formations are likely dominated by either escape or pursuit interactions, depending on how aggressive or non-aggressive the individuals are, respectively. For instance, marching insect formations seem to be dominated by escape behavior, while fish school formations seem to be dominated by pursuit interactions. “The understanding of collective motion has a clear application in evolutionary biology,” Romanczuk said. “As all animal behavior was subject to evolution, a behavior leading to formation of swarms might have given the corresponding individuals an evolutionary advantage: protection from predators, increased foraging success or, as in our case, prevention from being cannibalized by others. The understanding and the study of collective motion might help to identify the involved evolutionary pressures. Furthermore, the understanding of the onset of collective motion in locust swarms may help us to understand the formation of locusts plagues which affect millions of people and in the last consequence help to predict, or even to control, these events.” Romanczuk added that understanding collective motion could have applications beyond biology. “The understanding of collective motion is of particular interest to engineers and computer scientists working on the design of autonomous robots. The idea is that simple communicating agents may perform complex tasks as a group without the permanent control of a human for each individual, and which are also robust against the failure of individual agents within the group. Examples of such applications are coordinated automated investigation of environments, which are dangerous and/or difficult to access. “Finally, mathematical models describing collective motion of animals find applications in computer science and in the production of realistic computer animations of large animal swarms or even human crowds, which are also used in movie productions.” More information: Romanczuk, Pawel; Couzin, Iain D.; and Schimansky-Geier, Lutz. “Collective Motion due to Individual Escape and Pursuit Response.” Physical Review Letters 102, 010602 (2009). Copyright 2008 PhysOrg.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com. Citation: Scientists use Brownian Motion to Explore How Birds Flock Together (2009, January 23) retrieved 18 March 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2009-01-scientists-brownian-motion-explore-birds.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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