(1) PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT
a. Genesis (click)
b. Methodological outline (click)
(2) LECTURES ON SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
Interaction maximization as an evolution principle for
social systems (8 chapters)
This manuscript presents 7 lectures given
in China and Japan in September - December 2008.
The concluding chapter describes three research proposals aimed
at providing a firm starting point for future investigations
of social interactions.
(3) SOCIAL SEGMENTATION AND THE DEPRESSION OF 2008-?
Neoliberalism, social fragmentation and worldwide depression.
(5 chapters)
Explains the role played by social
and economic fragmentation in the development of
the economic crisis which started in 2007-2008.
(4) EXPERIMENTS FOR PROBING LINKS IN POPULATIONS OF INSECTS
Our final objective is to estimate interaction
strengths in social systems. However, as it is impossible to
do experiments on human groups, we will set up and test the
measurement procedures on groups of insects.
One of the most spectacular effects of inter-attraction is
the formation of clusters in populations of bees and ants.
Such effects are described in sections A, B, C, D, E, F
A. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1949)
(2 pages)
B. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1950)
(8 pages, 4 pictures, 1 diagram)
C. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1956)
(3 pages)
D. Clustering experiments, Nov. 2011
(paper: 13 pages, 4 pictures)
E. Clustering experiments with bees, Dec. 2011
(15 pages of photographs)
F. Experiments with bees (Meudon Val Fleury), June-July 2012
1) 13 June 2012 (click)
2) 15 June 2012 (click)
3a) 20 June 2012 (click)
3b) 20 June 2012 (click)
4) 13 July 2012 (click)
5) 18 July 2012 (click)
6) 20 July 2012 (click)
7) 25 July 2012 (click)
8) 27 June 2012 (click)
Captions and explanations (click)
G. Reports and papers presenting experimental observations
1) Experimental comparison of collective behavior in
physical systems versus populations of living organisms
(2012, 122 p.)
This report describes experiments involving insects or
small fishes which parallel basic experiments in statistical
physics such as evaporation, diffusion, effusion. Their
ultimate objective is to develop methods for measuring the
strength of inter-individual interactions.
2) Extending physical chemistry to populations of living organisms.
First step: measuring coupling strength
This paper proposes a method for measuring the intercorrelation
between the movements of individual organisms. This correlation
can in turn be considered as a proxy of inter-individual
coupling strength. (24 pages)
[says ``Page does not exist'' in spite of the
fact that the page does exist. I don't understand.]
3) How does group interaction and its severance affect life expectancy?
This paper examines the connection between social interaction
and life expectancy in human populations and in groups
of insects. It relies on demographic statistical data on
the one hand and on numerous experimental observations
involving ants and fruit flies on the other hand. (28 pages)
Talk given at Hiroshima University in 2013
4) Comparison of aggregation effects in physical versus
biological systems.
This paper examines clustering and aggregation phenomena
in both physical, biological and social systems
It relies
and data from a survey of the literature on the one hand
and on experimental observations involving ants, bees, beetles
and fruit flies on the other hand.
5) How can one measure group cohesion?
In a sense this paper is a follow-up of paper number 3 in which we analyse
the effect of group interaction severance. Here we examine whether or
not there is a relationship between population density and death rate.
6) How can one measure group cohesion?
In this paper which was presented at the Galway (Ireland)
COST workshop of 23-25 April 2014
we try to find experimental evidence of interaction
strength based on aggregation or diffusion.
(6) CLUSTERING EXPERIMENTS
This webpage presents images of experiments about the aggregation
and clustering of ants, drosophila,
(in this case there is in fact no clustering) and other
living organisms.
Suggestion! Once the images are downloaded (which make take 2 or 3 minutes)
it is necessary to zoom in strongly on each image
for otherwise the individual organisms will
hardly be visible.
(7) COHESION SOCIALE (a book in French)
(8) EUGLENA
The Euglena gracilis are unicellular micro-organisms
about 50 micrometer in length which can swim at a speed
of about 100 micrometer/second. Below are some movies which
show their movements.