TechBBN TECH

Food, fear and physics help explain group behavior from plankton to…

Researchers describe how food scarcity, predators and ocean physics shape how animals from tiny plankton to whales cluster; the fish are mostly just copying each other.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN Tonight
Published 9:54 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026
Updated 1:25 AM ET · aired 3 times

Photo: ABI imagery from NOAA's GOES-18 satellite · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN Tonight at 9:54 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Phys.org's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: ABI imagery from NOAA's GOES-18 satellite · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Photo: Ocean — Photo: ABI imagery from NOAA's GOES-18 satellite · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Footage: Vimeo-Free-Videos · Pixabay Content License · Pixabay

At a glance

First reported by Phys.org: “Food, fear and physics help explain group behavior from plankton to whales”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 9:54 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield; aired 3 times.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Phys.orgFood, fear and physics help explain group behavior from plankton to whales

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPhys.org reports that researchers are explaining why ocean animals, from plankton to whales, move in groups, and the answer is food, fear and basic physics.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentLook at this footage, a whole school of striped fish moving as one. It's the best group project I've ever seen.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNot the actual fish, just file footage. And nobody is coordinating, Kenji. Each fish watches its neighbors, panics a little, and copies them.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo it's a group chat.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt's a group chat where leaving means getting eaten, which, fine, is also true of yours.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPlease enjoy the tiny hand arriving from the right.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentI've never felt so seen by a fish.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNoted on the list. Rex, I hear your sport has a school too, and it's mostly a nervous huddle.

▶ Watch BBN liveMore Tech →

More Shorts

All videos →

Photo: Official SpaceX Photos · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · TechHow Starlink satellites threaten the night skyRead the story
Photo: Editor928111 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
▶ As it aired · TechRoadster's rocket hop clears five Tesla models in TexasRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.Luka Dončić Voted Best Small Forward: He's a GuardAbout this segment
▶ As it aired · TechSensors and software are now sniffing out smelly rubbish dumpsRead the story
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
▶ As it aired · TechGobi pterosaur museum built like dinosaur eggsRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.Seahawks Offense Stalls: Fourteen Points Is Not a Lol, It's a SeenAbout this segment
Photo: Océanos y dados · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ Short · TechCal AI's viral rise was powered by paid influencersRead the story
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
▶ As it aired · TechBangladeshi Actresses Mehjabin & Porimoni Viral Video LatestRead the story
▶ Interviews · U.S.Kristi Noem's Career Twist: Publicist on a Yacht With No ClientAbout this segment
Photo: Melanie Wallner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
▶ As it aired · TechAn AI-racing drone beat the best humans and set a world recordRead the story