Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33580191›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

An equation of state for insect swarms.

Michael Sinhuber, Kasper van der Vaart, Yenchia Feng, Andrew M Reynolds, Nicholas T Ouellette

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Spatial correlations in laboratory insect swarms.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2024
    Article
  3. Mosquito swarms shear harden.The European physical journal. E, Soft matter · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Michael Sinhuber *Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Kasper van der Vaart *Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Yenchia FengDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Andrew M ReynoldsRothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK.
Nicholas T OuelletteDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. nto@stanford.edu.

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBS/OS/CP/000001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Collective behaviour in flocks, crowds, and swarms occurs throughout the biological world. Animal groups are generally assumed to be evolutionarily adapted to robustly achieve particular functions, so there is widespread interest in exploiting collective behaviour for bio-inspired engineering. However, this requires understanding the precise properties and function of groups, which remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate that collective groups can be described in a thermodynamic framework. We define an appropriate set of state variables and extract an equation of state for laboratory midge swarms. We then drive swarms through "thermodynamic" cycles via external stimuli, and show that our equation of state holds throughout. Our findings demonstrate a new way of precisely quantifying the nature of collective groups and provide a cornerstone for potential future engineering design.

Indexed as

Mass GatheringsAdaptation, PhysiologicalAnimalsBehavior, AnimalBiological EvolutionChironomidaeGroup ProcessesInsectaModels, BiologicalModels, TheoreticalThermodynamics

Identifiers

PMID33580191
PMCPMC7881103

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.