Human social media is full of misinformation. Rumors, manipulated videos and images and lots of gossip that has no basis in reality are circulating. This scenario seems modern, but a new study indicates that the phenomenon of fake news is ancient and permeates all life on Earth.
An article published Wednesday (12/10) in the journal Interface by biologists from Cornell University, United States, claims that misinformation has not occurred with humans. The authors argue that deceptive signals are an inherent property of biological communication systems. This pattern appears in bacteria, birds and human groups.
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The team reviewed studies and analyzed decades of research to track how false or inaccurate information circulates in the wild. The results indicate that social communication always contains misleading information and that lies are often intentional.
“Socially transmitted misinformation is likely a ubiquitous feature of biological communication and should therefore be considered a fundamental part of social, ecological, and evolutionary systems rather than a pathology that somehow deviates from the normal functioning of these systems,” the authors explain.
Big tits and constant fake news
Pay attention to what the birds tell you. According to the study, a bird known as the great tit (Major appearance) has a high rate of misleading messages: about two-thirds of the alarms they raise in dining areas are false.
Some of these alarms occur due to an error. The animal reacts to the threat of a moving leaf, for example, but there is no predator. There is, however, evidence of deliberate production of lies to alienate mates and steal food resources.
In practice, they constantly shout fire in restaurants to take food from the neighbor’s plate. And although they are many liars, they still believe the warnings. For researchers, this is a result of the cost of ignoring a real warning, which could result in them dying at the hands of predators and the decision must be made quickly.
Individuals who emit deceptive signals can obtain direct benefits. By causing the group to escape, they gain access to food or mates without having to face competition.
The photo shows the great tit (Major appearance), the liar of nature
Also found in other species
But beyond these birds specialized in disinformation, what biology shows is that the effectiveness of a lie uttered depends on its frequency. False alarms work best when they are infrequent. If deception becomes common, the group begins to ignore signals coming from that individual.
Misinformation occurs between species. Bacteria use chemical signals to organize collective defenses, for example, but sometimes they emit signals earlier to encourage others to produce defenses in turn.
There are also accounts of animal populations such as whales and dolphins copying obsolete migratory routes by relying on the leadership of one or more representatives of a collective tradition that ultimately exposes them to greater dangers.
Having established the theoretical model, the researchers want to explore the practical impacts of understanding the role of misinformation in keeping groups together or breaking them apart. The authors suggest that similar principles may apply in schools and on digital platforms, with people trusting who says something more than whether it is correct. “Understanding biological limits can inspire human rumor control strategies,” the authors conclude.
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