Lemming Population Flux Solved: Mass Suicide Not to Blame

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."

Don't worry if you ever lose Lemmings off a cliff

[alex_ant]

There will always be another sequel.

good!

[Dorothy 86]

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

I thought it was

[Phosphor3k]

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

Pingus

[MooCows]

Why study Lemmings when you can study Pingus [seul.org]?

This is good news...

[dauvis]

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.

sounds like exceprt from formula mystery novel

[iggymanz]

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

Oh, crap

[pipingguy]

So is the old Psygnosis game [wikipedia.org] now obsolete and environmentally incorrect?

aha!

[Joe the Lesser]

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

Someone needs to...

[indros13]

...get a game mod out for the original Lemmings. It just won't be the same...

I'm sceptical

[spektr]

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.

Oh no!

[FrostedWheat]

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

*POP*

Beyond the article...

[FollowThisLogic]

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.

Pingus

[yerricde]

If the Lemmings were running Linux

Then they'd be Pingus [seul.org]

My favorite was Killime

[NoNine]

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!".

"Computer Lemmings"? You mean Windows users?

[Prof. Pi]

"Time for another upgrade/mass-migration!"

Re:Pingus

[yourmom16]

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

Lemmings are Terrorists

[Laconian]

especially those suicide bomber ones!

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