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How do schools of fish swim in harmony? - Nathan S. Jacobs

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How do schools of fish swim in harmony? How do the tiny cells in your brain give rise to the complex thoughts, memories, and consciousness that are you? Oddly enough, those questions have the same general answer. Nathan S. Jacobs explains the concept of emergence, the spontaneous creation of sophisticated behaviors and functions from large groups of simple elements.

One type of emergence that is very weird to think about is your mind. Your thoughts, perceptions, and decisions are based on the activities of many neurons, rather than any one neuron. What do you think is the evolutionary advantage of distributing our cognitive abilities across many neurons?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Nathan S. Jacobs
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Director Lisa LaBracio
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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