] For instance, a colony of ants can collectively find out
] where the nearest and richest food source is located,
] without any individual ant knowing it. In experiments, a
] food source is separated from the nest by a bridge with
] two branches, one of which is longer. The shorter branch
] is most likely to be selected by the colony. This is
] because the ants lay and follow chemical trails:
] individual ants lay a chemical substance, a pheromone,
] which attracts other ants. The first ants returning to
] the nest from the food source are those that take the
] shorter path twice (from the nest to the source and
] back). Nest mates are recruited toward the shorter
] branch, which is the first to be marked with pheromone.

Its common for different people to come to the same rough conclusions at the same time. This is largely due to shared circumstance and information sources. What is truly amazing to me, is at this point in time, we can see each other coming to these conclusions better then ever before, and feed off each other's ideas as we go along in a very effective mannor. This, if in no other way, is how Information Technology is really changing things.

OpenP2P.com: Swarm Intelligence: An Interview with Eric Bonabeau [Feb. 21, 2003]