  We explore a simplified class of models we call swarms, which are inspired by
the collective behavior of social insects. We perform a mean-field stability
analysis and perform numerical simulations of the model. Several interesting
types of behavior emerge in the vicinity of a second-order phase transition in
the model, including the formation of stable lines of traffic flow, and memory
reconstitution and bootstrapping. In addition to providing an understanding of
certain classes of biological behavior, these models bear a generic resemblance
to a number of pattern formation processes in the physical sciences.
