Over a year ago, a fascinating study was released about how cockroaches share available shelters:
Researchers offered 50 cockroach larvae their choice of three shelters that could each house more than 50 cockroaches. All 50 tended to crowd into the same shelter.
When the shelters were swapped with smaller versions that could hold just 40 cockroaches, the group would typically split into two groups of about 25, leaving one house unoccupied.
“It’s better, in terms of group benefits, to have a 50/50 split instead of one important, large group and one that’s less robust,” said study coauthor Jose Halloy of the Universite libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
emphasis mine
Roaches have decided that every roach matters. This study is fascinating, and exciting, and damning for human society.
Before any concern trolls inform me that cockroaches are “designed” to live communally and humans aren’t, I’ll remind you that adaptation is all about what works in the current environment. Roaches have figured out what works, while humans are failing miserably.
Roaches, even immature roaches, understand that everyone does better when everyone does better. Humans can’t seem to grasp this simple fact.
