The Spirit of the Hive: Mechanisms of Social Evolution

Explore the fascinating world of insect societies in this 47-minute plenary presentation from the International Congress of Entomology 2016. Delve into "The spirit of the hive: Mechanisms of social evolution" as Dr. Jennifer Fewell, President's Professor at Arizona State University, shares her expertise on the organization and evolution of insect societies. Discover how self-organization and selection shape cooperative social groups, with a focus on harvester ants and other cooperative species. Learn about Dr. Fewell's interdisciplinary approach to studying social complexity, her leadership in founding the Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity at ASU, and her contributions to the field of entomology. Gain insights into the transition from solitary to group living and how social groups scale up in size, drawing parallels between insect societies and other cooperative groups, including human organizations.