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Lemming Population Flux Solved: Mass Suicide Not to Blame

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the games-to-stand-as-is dept.

quogmire writes "Australia's ABC reports that biologists from the Universities of Finland and Freiburg (Germany) have finally solved the question of lemming population fluctuations once thought to be caused by lemmings mass-suiciding by plunging off cliffs. 'Lemming populations, they say, surge spectacularly and fall just as quickly, thanks to the combined feasting of four predators: the stoat, arctic fox, snowy owl and a seabird called the long-tailed skua.' The original article (Login required) is published in Science."

17 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Don't worry if you ever lose Lemmings off a cliff by alex_ant · · Score: 3, Funny

    There will always be another sequel.

  2. good! by Dorothy+86 · · Score: 5, Funny

    well, at least now I know that its just not God pushing the mushroom cloud button!

    --
    Game Overdrive - Gaming News
  3. I thought it was by Phosphor3k · · Score: 5, Funny

    because I keep clicking the bomb icon and blowing them up?

  4. Pingus by MooCows · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why study Lemmings when you can study Pingus?

    --
    The path I walk alone is endlessly long.
    30 minutes by bike, 15 by bus.
    1. Re:Pingus by yourmom16 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unfortunately most worms(Slammer, Blaster, SoBig, etc) are for Windows.

      --
      "We have got to make Stan understand the importance of voting, because he'll definitely vote for our guy." - South Park
  5. This is good news... by dauvis · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought it was because I should have had one build that bridge across the chasm. I didn't consider that the game had predators as well.

  6. sounds like exceprt from formula mystery novel by iggymanz · · Score: 4, Funny

    those Disney lemmings didn't commit suicide, they were MURDERED! *gasp*

  7. Oh, crap by pipingguy · · Score: 3, Funny

    So is the old Psygnosis game now obsolete and environmentally incorrect?

  8. aha! by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 4, Funny

    They're not suicidal, they're just tasty!

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  9. Someone needs to... by indros13 · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...get a game mod out for the original Lemmings. It just won't be the same...

    --
    Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
  10. I'm sceptical by spektr · · Score: 5, Funny

    This doesn't concur with the results I got from my private investigations regarding the behaviour of lemmings. I did some massive computer simulations during the 90's, which showed that lemmings are stupid animals which will walk into one direction until they fall off the cliff. Only few of them can use jack-hammers or parachutes, and even that not without explicit order.

  11. Oh no! by FrostedWheat · · Score: 4, Funny

    *puts hands on head* Oh-no!!!

    *POP*

  12. Beyond the article... by FollowThisLogic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apparently it has also been found that when the lemmings do jump off the cliff, they all have little umbrellas to make it down safely.

  13. Pingus by yerricde · · Score: 2, Funny

    If the Lemmings were running Linux

    Then they'd be Pingus

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  14. My favorite was Killime by NoNine · · Score: 1, Funny

    In case you missed the Disney version, Killime was the youngest and the bravest of the lemmings. He was soooo cute! He tried to stop the other lemmings from going over the cliff, but slipped and fell to his death screaming "D'oh!".

  15. "Computer Lemmings"? You mean Windows users? by Prof.+Pi · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Time for another upgrade/mass-migration!"

  16. Lemmings are Terrorists by Laconian · · Score: 2, Funny

    especially those suicide bomber ones!

    (double clicks the mushroom cloud)
    OH NO! ...pop!