Chapter 83: Human Collective Behavior

Having reached this point in his narrative, Jiang Zhe stopped speaking, giving everyone time to react and verify the information.

In the lecture hall of the Kyoto University of Science.

The "Hundredth Monkey Effect" mentioned by Jiang Zhe was not unfamiliar to the crowd.

They had told their students about it more than once.

Yet hearing it from Jiang Zhe's mouth now, it had a different flavor.

Professor Hua Yunfeng, however, was a bit confused, so he looked toward the audience: "Please, everyone, feel free to speak your mind. I really don't know much about this. It would be even better if someone could enlighten Old Feng and me!"

A young psychologist dressed in a suit stood up from the audience.

"It's like this."

"The 'Hundredth Monkey Effect' that Jiang Zhe mentioned was a direction of research into biological evolution by a group of Japanese scholars back then."

"They originally wanted to study whether organisms would evolve in the same direction."

"As for the experimental props, whether they were sweet potatoes, bananas, or something else, there are too many versions, so the specific prop remains unclear."

"But there really was such an experiment at the time."

"Later, that group of Japanese scholars unexpectedly discovered what Jiang Zhe just described."

"For example: Monkey A on Island A learned to wash sweet potatoes. Once the monkeys on Island A gradually became accustomed to washing sweet potatoes, the majority of the monkeys in that territory became accustomed to washing their food."

"After all the monkeys on Island A learned this behavior, the eerie part followed—once the monkey population of Group A mastered this skill, at that very same moment, the new behavior of the Island A monkeys crossed the ocean and was transmitted to the monkeys at Mount Takasaki in Oita Prefecture on the opposite shore. Yet, these two groups of monkeys had absolutely no connection or contact, and the monkeys on Island B exhibited the same chilling behavior."

As the young scholar provided a deeper analysis, more experts present began to feel a sense of dread.

Although the example was simple, it was filled with unscientific elements.

At this moment, another middle-aged or elderly scholar with a stout build stood up and said:

"May I understand it this way?"

Hearing this, the young scholar looked at the older scholar: "What kind of understanding?"

The middle-aged or elderly historian said thoughtfully:

"The Paleolithic Age ranges from 3 million years ago to 10,000 years ago."

"And the first person to drill wood to make fire, the Suiren, lived between 6482 and 6372 years ago."

"However, many people pass on rumors; the earliest wood used to make fire was called: Suimu."

"The true person to drill wood for fire might not actually be the Suiren; this is a topic open to debate."

"Before that, it was: percussion fire-making, mostly using flint, striking it to produce sparks, and then igniting them on a pile of dry grass. The success rate was quite low."

"But during the same period, there are no clear records in foreign accounts, though there are records of mythological figures like Prometheus: stealing fire from the heavens."

"According to historical documents: flint fire-making tools have been found at multiple Homo sapiens sites in Asia, Europe, and Africa, including fire-making tools used by the Neanderthals at that time."

"People at that time had no concept of nations, so it is impossible to specifically verify who was the first to make fire."

"Although these things cannot be verified as to who was first."

"But may I understand it this way!"

"Let's use the debatable Suiren inventing fire-drilling as an example. Once fire-drilling became popular within a certain area, did the foreigners of the Paleolithic Age also quickly and eerily learn to drill wood for fire?"

"It's just like the monkeys on Island A and the monkeys on Island B; they are separated by 200 kilometers of ocean."

"And what I want to ask is: between these two monkey groups, as well as the example I gave, there was no migration process, but rather a skill of making fire that was transmitted out of thin air, right?"

Hearing this, the young psychologist thought for a moment, and then gave an accurate answer: "Yes, Professor; that is exactly what I mean."

"After Group A of humans learned it, Group B of humans would also eerily learn it. There really was no transmission process between them; it was more like I learned to make fire first, and then you, 108,000 li away, also knew how to make fire."

"Although it sounds very fantastical!"

"But in reality, this is currently generally accepted in the field of psychology, and relevant scientists have conducted follow-up human experiments. I estimate that Jiang Zhe will talk about it."

Seeing the simple debate between the old and the young, the experts present who only half-understood the topic furrowed their brows, feeling more and more how mysterious and unfathomable this case was!

Professor Hua Yunfeng looked astonished, then looked at Old Feng beside him: "Have you... ever heard of this?"

"Treating me like a mouthpiece again." Old Feng's mouth twitched, but he had no choice but to nod and accept it. He looked at the young professor in the audience and asked:

"Young scholar."

"Whether it is the monkeys on Island A washing sweet potatoes, or the Suiren of Country A making fire, these are actually individual behaviors that rise to group behaviors, and then from the commonality of group behaviors, they rise to a behavior of the [collective] human race separated by thousands of miles."

"The sequence is: individual, group, collective."

"Is that right?"

"That's right, Professor Feng, your understanding is even more thorough!" The young psychologist's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "Professor Feng, that is exactly it. After the monkey group on Island A learned the skill, it radiated to Island B, 200 kilometers away, in the form of a very eerie energy field; human fire-making was transmitted in the same way, without any migration process between them."

In the lecture hall.

With this deeper understanding, those scholars who had originally thought they understood the 'Hundredth Monkey Experiment'...

At this moment, they were suddenly dazed.

The more they delved into the matter, the more bizarre it became, and yet, it seemed even more real!

They looked blank, wondering if they had come to the wrong place today or heard something wrong.

Thinking carefully, the world didn't seem very scientific!

The audience had the same reaction as this group of experts.

"So... everyone, do you understand now?"

"I understand, but what is the principle behind this?"

"No, no, I don't know. Is it Telepathy?"

"I can say for sure that this case really exists, and it is exactly as Jiang Zhe said—there is no falsehood in it. I am so damn confused!"

"Same here, upstairs. The more I listen, the more I feel how little knowledge I have. At the same time, the world doesn't seem very scientific anymore."

"..."

If not for Jiang Zhe's mention, many people would never have made such associations.

After digging deeper, many people were confused.

They had previously thought—

Humans, aren't they just humans?

The terrifying bipedal apes that evolved from simians!

Two eyes, a pair of ears, a mouth, a nose, a heart, and a brain—what is there to be strange about?

Why is it that the more one learns about humans, the less human they seem to become, and instead appear more like some kind of program?

Program A learns, then radiates to the program group, and then radiates to the entire collective within the region.

People on Island A learn a skill, radiate the skill to the group, and then the group radiates it to the collective.

This is not transmitted through language...

But is transmitted among the human race by some mysterious energy!

The more they thought, the more their scalps tingled. What exactly is wrong with humans? Why are they so strange?

...

At this moment, in the leadership meeting room.

Old Zhao, Wang Guosheng, and others also fell into deep thought.

Because...

They had also looked into this experiment immediately.

What Jiang Zhe said was well-founded, and it had truly happened; it was indisputable.

Old Zhao and Wang Guosheng were confused and chose to look at Wang Lin, attempting to seek an answer.

Wang Lin shook his head gently: "I cannot explain the specifics, but I only know one thing—"

"Our human brainwaves actually match to a high degree at certain moments. Once they match, a feeling of Telepathy arises among us humans."

"If this is the truth of the 'Hundredth Monkey Effect,' then I am willing to believe that the situation occurs only when the brain's magnetic field of person A matches or even overlaps with the brain's magnetic field of person B of the human race on the other side of the Earth."

"Using fire-drilling as an example: if the Suiren was truly the first Paleolithic human to drill wood for fire, that is, the Paleolithic human from the Shangqiu area of our country."

"If the Suiren was indeed the first to make fire, then shortly after, an ancient human on the Eurasian continent on the other side of the Earth from Henan would also appear as a [Suiren]. He would also take on the responsibility of being the first to drill wood for fire, and then spread this skill widely."

"Between these two places lies a vast ocean, and there is no path for migration."

Hearing this, Xiao Shiyi couldn't help but gulp: "This sounds so sci-fi, but is it really reliable?"

Wang Lin waved his hand: "It's not a question of whether it's reliable or not, but that you haven't delved into this part of the content."

"It does indeed exist. It's like if you were to talk about the [Hundredth Monkey Effect] or 'Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly' to a layman who isn't interested in science—their first reaction upon hearing it would be: [Crazy]!"

"Ah Zhe... I was wrong. Brother Wang, please continue."

"No need to continue, Jiang Zhe has already started speaking."

Just as everyone continued to ponder and seek knowledge, Jiang Zhe on the big screen frowned slightly because the barrage in the live stream still showed disbelief.

"Many viewers are still only half-understanding."

"I have to explain the Hundredth Monkey Effect in detail again."

"Actually, there is a very simple little experiment that can help everyone understand the scientific effect behind it!"

With these few words, he once again captured the attention of all the discussing public and experts!