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1 of 2 When Worlds Collide
This documentary reveals the awe-inspiring world of animal swarms, discovering
what happens when superswarms invade people's lives and, using the latest
camera techniques, going to the heart of the swarm to reveal how the creatures
therein view our world.
Real-life footage from camcorders and mobile phones captures the amazing impact
they can have. Killer bees mount an attack on an international football match
in Costa Rica; in the US the Illinois River boils with leaping silver carp, an
alien species that has hijacked the river, smashing into boats and injuring
people.
In South Australia a sea of mice raids farms, consuming and destroying in their
millions on a scale that defies belief. The largest swarm on Earth erupts from
Lake Victoria: trillions of flies blanket villages but the locals have learnt
to turn the swarm into a highly nutritious fly burger. In Rome, cameras fly
alongside ten million starlings, the largest swarm in Europe. Their mesmeric
waves stop many residents in their tracks, but as they roost they smother the
city in tons of excrement.
One man has learnt to control the ultimate swarm. He has become their 'queen
bee' with startling results, learning to control what most people fear and to
understand one of the most incredible forces of nature.
2 of 2 One Million Heads, One Beautiful Mind
Extraordinary photography reveals the incredible swarm intelligence that lies
behind animal invasions.
Millions of free-tailed bats form a living tornado in which complex information
is exchanged. Huge shape-shifting shoals of herring use swarm intelligence to
detect predators. Billions of alkali flies form a rolling wave to evade the
gaping mouths of gulls. Vast numbers of shore birds synchronise their migration
with swarming horseshoe crabs, a feat of timing unparalleled in the animal
world.
Fire ants invade and destroy computer equipment and, when their nest is
flooded, create living rafts with their bodies. Inside a driver ants' nest we
discover the inner workings of a brain made from thousands of individuals. One
swarm is even helping to save the planet from the greenhouse effect.
Incredible images show the true complexity of the swarm and how their
intelligence impacts on our world.
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