Digital Biology by Peter Bentley was a fascinating but confusing perspective on the world we live in. Bentley, a computer scientist at the University of London, attempts to explain how the things we observe in nature can be used in computer programs. Although he did not go into much detail about the computer aspect of it, the author explains very well different processes in nature. Topics ranged from bee swarms to neurons in a human brain, which kept the book fairly interesting. I did not like most of his explanations on how we mimic nature in computers because they were confusing and didn’t seem to cover all the steps. For example, Bentley hinted at something very interesting: he was able to design the most efficient coffee table via a computer program, but doesn’t explain how he did it. Apparently he just used a very complicated computer program.

Fortunately the author includes some thought provoking stories of insect behavior in my favorite chapter, titled “Insects”. He begins with a story about an ant who starts out as a confused infant, travels outside into a swarm of other ants, mates, then moves back to a nest to give birth. Bentley writes about why ant colonies are so intelligent, even though individual ants have very limited brains. Ants rely on a chemical they give off called pheromone, which other ants can sense. If the scent is strong, it means a certain trail is a good one and leads to food. The only complaint I have about this chapter is the author does not explain how ants were able to evolve their pheromone chemical. Bentley focuses much on the ants “dropping their pheromone scent” but then doesn’t explain how they developed this chemical. Perhaps he felt this would be getting too off track from his original goal of connecting biology with computers. 

The two main computer methods ant behavior led to is the development of swarm-based softwares and “self-organization arising from four simple processes”. The four simple processes are multiple interactions, positive feedback, negative feedback, and the amplification of fluctuations. Multiple interactions make an interaction dynamic and create changes. Positive feedback is, for example, when an ant lays down pheromone because it discovers a new food source. Negative feedback is the opposite, like when an ant doesn’t lay down pheromone because it’s a bad trail. Amplification of fluctuations is when a normal, uninteresting process is changed into something significant because its outcome is amplified. An ant following a trail is uninteresting. When the trail leads to a large food source, it is significant and can change the status of the ant colony. Thus the normal fluctuation is amplified. 

Bentley did not give a good description of how swarms work in computers, only that they will help to “design digital brains”. His description and definition of a swarm were interesting. This is another example of the author’s ability to describe biology well, but confuses the reader when he begins to describe the digital part. Peter Bentley’s Digital Biology was more of an introduction to the subject rather than the actual subject matter. The book leaves a lot to be desired and depends too much on the reader’s assumptions and ability to make up conclusions. His writing style is uneven and rigid since things end too quickly after a long description of a biological subject. Writing an interesting book about computers that grabs the reader and holds him is a tough task, and sadly, Digital Biology does not accomplish this.