Feo: insect evolution
Posted by Feo Amante on Apr 05, 2004 at 09:58
(216.31.142.59)Re: insect evolution (craig )
Please don't confuse intelligence with evolution. It doesn't work that way. Cockroaches didn't need to evolve intelligence to survive, they only had to breed incredibly fast and be adaptable enough to feed off of practically everything.
So whatever is capable of surviving is what works, even if it is an imbecile. Take, as an example, Stephen Hawking: A very intelligent man. Yet he is unable to take care of himself regardless of his intellect and survives and lives off of the goodness and help of those less intelligent than himself.
btw, this is not meant as a slam at Steve, this is only to illustrate a point.
So insects will not "evolve" intelligence equal to ours unless intelligence, over a period of time, favors their survival.
This said, some species of ants are amazingly advanced and transmit information from one insect to the other - "thoughts" - incredibly fast. They communicate with both antennae and scent. This means they can tailor their scents, to pass along information far faster than they could move. Some ant colonies are so selectively "cultured", layered, and diversified, that the SF idea of a Hive Mind is certainly a credible debate. A single colony of ants may consist of food gathers, waste disposal units, nursery tenders, farmers, ranchers, builders, colony defenders and warriors, as well as a Queen.
Watching an ant bed and understanding its interactions is akin to watching the thought process of a primitive mind.
Ants are probably the most advanced of the insect life forms, and while that certainly helps them, their excellent survival skills may not necessarily call for increasing their intelligence.
I hope that answers your question.