"Emergence"

I found the Radiolab broadcast, "Emergence" to be very interesting, and was surprised and impressed by the amount of material covered within an hour- long segment. What struck me to be the most fascinating about the piece, I think, was how closely correlated human activity, establishment, and interaction is with that of the "animal world." I use quotations when referring to the "animal world," because although we humans are indeed members of this world ourselves, we tend to view ourselves as being external to, and elevated beyond it's structure, governance, and processes. "Emergence" reinforced how much human activity parellels that of other animals, such as ants. The piece did a great job of exposing how similar human beings are to other creates, from the way(s) in which our societies/cities are established, to the ways in which we work cohesively as a group to achieve tasks more efficiently. "Emergence" also posed some compelling questions regarding the ways in which the world and it's many inhabitants have evolved without an obvious "leader" or plan. It left the audience contemplating the many ways in which life as we know it has reached the point it exists at today. Is there an innate, bilogical component to it all? Is there a single sector of the human brain responsible for the coordination of every thought and activity? Is there a creator respobible for the unexplainable phemomena we encounter in the "human" and "animal" worlds? Overall this piece was thought provoking and provided some fun and obscure information I may have otherwise not encountered, and for these reasons I found it to be both interesting and enjoyable.