The new Apple TV series Pluribus, from Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, presents a world where an alien RNA sequence merges humanity into a single, serene hive mind. While the show’s premise is gripping, how much of it is grounded in real science? The answer lies in the fascinating space between established biological principles and the enduring mysteries of human consciousness.
The Scientific Foundation of a Hive Mind
The core idea of Pluribus revolves around an extraterrestrial RNA sequence that rapidly infects humanity, creating a collective consciousness. From a purely biological standpoint, the concept of an RNA-based agent altering human behavior is not entirely far-fetched. RNA is a fundamental molecule of life, and some viruses, like COVID-19, are based on RNA and can dramatically change how our bodies function. However, the leap from a virus causing illness to one creating a telepathic network is where science fiction takes the lead. Scientists have not discovered an RNA sequence that can link human brains together, placing this “Joining” process firmly in the realm of pseudoscience for now.
Where the show finds more solid ground is in its inspiration from the natural world. Creator Vince Gilligan based the physical movements of the hive-minded “Others” on observations from nature.
“I used to scuba dive a little bit… It fascinated me: These beautiful fish, they’re all in a line, and then the lead fish all of a sudden turns a corner… You can’t even see it happen. It’s faster than the human eye,” Gilligan explained, describing how schools of fish move as one.
This real-world phenomenon is known as swarm intelligence, a field that studies the collective behavior of decentralized systems. It is observed in insects like ants, which operate as a colony through chemical cues rather than individual thought, and in flocks of birds. Robotics researchers are already applying these principles to program small robots to coordinate and perform tasks together. Pluribus borrows this framework, suggesting the hive mind operates on a similar “biological imperative.”
The Unsolved Mystery of Human Consciousness
The biggest scientific challenge Pluribus faces is the same one that confounds neuroscientists and philosophers today: we still cannot fully define or explain human consciousness. We can map brain activity and understand sensory processes, but the question of how electrical signals in the brain create our individual sense of self, our inner “you,” remains a profound mystery. Because consciousness itself is not yet understood, the concept of blending eight billion individual consciousnesses into one is currently impossible to validate scientifically.
The show taps into theoretical concepts like the Buddhist notion of a universal consciousness and social thinkers like Carl Jung, who introduced the idea of a collective unconscious. It also flirts with quantum mechanics as a potential mechanism. However, these are philosophical and theoretical models, not established scientific facts. The series uses these ideas to build a narrative that feels plausible by exploring the great unknown of the human mind.
Hive Minds in Nature and Technology
In the animal kingdom, hive minds are a reality, though they don’t involve shared thoughts or emotions as depicted in the show. As one analysis notes, “ants operate under swarm intelligence, which is a system where no individual ‘thinks’ on its own.” The colony responds to instincts and chemical signals to achieve complex goals. A specific example mentioned in the show is the Lasius Orientalis ant species, where workers can be compelled by an infiltrator’s pheromone to kill their own queen, acting against their core biological instincts. This mirrors the compliant, command-following behavior of the “Others” in Pluribus.
The series has also drawn strong comparisons to the rise of artificial intelligence. While Gilligan has stated he “wasn’t thinking about AI” when he first conceived the show a decade ago, the parallels are striking. The hive mind, or “pluribus,” functions in a way that resembles a large language model. It can access the combined knowledge and memories of eight billion people but struggles with creativity, sarcasm, and humor—areas where AI also famously falters.
Zosia, the representative of the hive, often speaks in phrases that sound remarkably similar to AI chatbots:
“Hi, Carol. How can we help you?” and “We apologise for our misunderstanding, Carol. We just want you to be happy.”
This highlights a key limitation. Both the hive mind and AI can process existing data, but they cannot generate truly novel ideas or understand the nuanced emotional subtext of human communication without fresh input from an individual, like Carol.
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A Cautionary Tale of Assimilation
Scientifically, Pluribus is a masterclass in making the impossible feel plausible. It wraps its narrative in real biological cues, lab scenes, and radio signals, much like Breaking Bad did with its chemistry. While the show’s central premise of an RNA-induced global hive mind is not scientifically correct, it is built upon a foundation of real, observable phenomena from nature and thought-provoking questions about consciousness. It ultimately serves as a cautionary tale, exploring the potential cost of a conflict-free existence where dissent, individuality, and the creative chaos that defines humanity are erased.
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