Comments on: Serotonin turns locusts into party animals – sound familiar? http://thentherewaslight.com/130_serotonin-turns-locusts-into-party-animals-sound-familiar/ The shining light of reason in this dark lost world. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:02:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: John Smith http://thentherewaslight.com/130_serotonin-turns-locusts-into-party-animals-sound-familiar/#comment-11 John Smith Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:42:38 +0000 http://thentherewaslight.wordpress.com/?p=130#comment-11 "Locusts originate from barren regions that see only occasional transient rainfalls. While unforgiving conditions prevail, locusts eke out a living as solitary individuals with a strong aversion to mingling with other locusts. When the rains come, the amount and quality of vegetation expands and the locusts can breed in large numbers. In deserts, however, the rains are not sustained and food soon becomes more and more sparse. Thus large numbers of locusts are funnelled into dwindling patches of remaining vegetation where they are forced into close contact with each other. This crowding triggers a dramatic and rapid change in the locusts' behaviour: they become very mobile and they actively seek the company of other locusts. This new behaviour keeps the crowd together while the insects acquire distinctly different colours and large muscles that equip them for prolonged flights in swarms. " -www.physorg.com If you were crammed into a small living space with thousands of others, with a small amount of food you'd probably become aggressive too. “Locusts originate from barren regions that see only occasional transient rainfalls. While unforgiving conditions prevail, locusts eke out a living as solitary individuals with a strong aversion to mingling with other locusts. When the rains come, the amount and quality of vegetation expands and the locusts can breed in large numbers.

In deserts, however, the rains are not sustained and food soon becomes more and more sparse. Thus large numbers of locusts are funnelled into dwindling patches of remaining vegetation where they are forced into close contact with each other. This crowding triggers a dramatic and rapid change in the locusts’ behaviour: they become very mobile and they actively seek the company of other locusts. This new behaviour keeps the crowd together while the insects acquire distinctly different colours and large muscles that equip them for prolonged flights in swarms. ”

-www.physorg.com

If you were crammed into a small living space with thousands of others, with a small amount of food you’d probably become aggressive too.

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