👉 Insects, particularly social species like ants, bees, and termites, exhibit remarkable computational abilities that can be likened to rudimentary computing. These insects process vast amounts of sensory data, such as chemical signals (pheromones), visual cues, and tactile information, to make decisions that benefit their colonies. For instance, ants use pheromone trails to communicate the shortest path to food sources, effectively solving complex routing problems without centralized control. Bees perform intricate dances to convey information about the location and quality of food sources, demonstrating a form of distributed problem-solving. Termites build complex structures using simple rules and interactions, showcasing emergent problem-solving capabilities. These computational processes are often decentralized, meaning no single insect has all the information or decision-making power; instead, they rely on local interactions and simple rules to achieve sophisticated collective behaviors.
