How do  groups of small brained (or no brained) organisms solve complex optimisation problems?

 The natural world represents a gold mine of problem solving algorithms. We aim to uncover the behaviours that allow ant colonies, bee hives, and slime mould amoebas to collectively make ‘smart’ decisions. 

We are particularly interested in understanding how ants and slime moulds build efficient transportation networks, and how natural systems prevent error cascades and the spread of misinformation. We aim to apply what we learn from biological systems to human-designed systems.