A new theory about insect behavior described in an Arizona State University press release could boost support for emergent behavior advocates in robotics. Jennifer H. Fewell of the ASU Center for Insect Science, has been studying social behavior and task allocation in the world of social insects for some time. At a colony level, termites exhibit complex behaviors such the construction of cooling towers to thermoregulate their colony, and the management of complex farming and food production systems. The traditional view is that insects evolved the capabilities in their genetic makeup. But Fewell proposes that the abilities evolved as emergent behaviors from very simple organisms.