In his new book Breakpoint, brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel talks about how the world as we see it today is poised for a networking revolution. This will change the way we access the world’s information and the way we connect with one another. Studying biological systems is perhaps the best way to understand such networks, and nature has a lesson for us if we care to listen: bigger is rarely better in the long run. The deadliest creature is the mosquito, not the lion.

It is the quality of a network that is important for survival, not the size. The bad news is that all networks—the human brain, Facebook, Google, even the internet itself—eventually reach a breakpoint with the potential for a catastrophic collapse. However, the good news is that reaching a breakpoint can be a step forward, allowing a network to substitute quality for quantity.

Ants, for instance aren’t smart, but once a colony matures beyond its breakpoint, ants show increasing signs of collective intelligence. When mature ants act as a group, a single unit, they defy logic.  It turns out that the intelligence of ants does not lie with the individual – it lies with the group.

Check out this cool video about how when a flood hits a fire ant colony in the Amazon jungle, the ants create a lifeboat to protect their queen. Its amazing to see how the species has adapted to water to protect the queen.

Breakpoint is the common ground between how ants, the human brain, reindeer, facebook, traffic, technology and networks function. Watch this space to find out more…  and make sure to register (below!)to get notified when you can pre-order the book!