Serial transmission of misinformative messages. (A) A false alarm cascade in which alarm calling behavior propagates through a bird flock in the absence of a true threat. (B) Social transmission involves perception and decoding of a message, update of beliefs and re-encoding of the message through actions perceptible by others in the group (e.g. alarm signal, fleeing). Credit: Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2025). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2025.0161

From claims that vaccines don’t work to manipulated images and deliberately misrepresenting what politicians say, social media is often rife with misinformation. But far from being a recent phenomenon, there is nothing new about so-called "fake news," according to a new paper published in the journal Interface. Researchers argue that misinformation is an inherent and inevitable property of biological systems, from bacteria to birds and human societies.

Misinformation is everywhere

Social communication is a key part of social evolution and collective behavior. It is how an organism learns about its immediate environment without having to rely on risky, trial-and-error or how a bacterium coordinates its behavior with its neighbors to launch a collective defense. However, these social connections can also act as channels for misinformation. While there are many studies on the spread of misinformation in human societies, our understanding of its biological origins is limited.

So the team reviewed decades of empirical and theoretical studies of misinformation in biological systems to see where and how it happens in nature. They found plenty of examples, such as a bird giving a false alarm call, causing the entire flock to flee, an animal population copying outdated migratory paths and even deceptive signaling in bacteria.

To define and measure misinformation across different systems, the study authors developed mathematical models to investigate it in any species. This will allow scientists to understand how accurate an organism’s existing beliefs are and the extent to which information from other organisms shifts those beliefs. Working with these models led the team to conclude that misinformation is a fundamental feature of all biological communication, not a bug, failure, or other pathology.

"Socially transmitted misinformation is likely to be a ubiquitous feature of biological communication, and should therefore be viewed as a fundamental part of social, ecological and evolutionary systems, rather than as a pathology that somehow lies apart from the normal functioning of these systems," the authors explain.

New ways to tackle misinformation?

Having established their model, the researchers now want to turn their attention to how this knowledge can help us investigate the impact of misinformation on real-world questions. For example, how does misinformation affect the survival of animal populations? And can we find universal laws to control misinformation, whether it is spreading through a school of fish or like wildfire on social media platforms? The answers could help us develop strategies to control misinformation in both human and biological systems.

Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You’ll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.

More information: Ling-Wei Kong et al, A brief natural history of misinformation, Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2025). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2025.0161

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Citation: Misinformation is an inevitable biological reality across nature, researchers argue (2025, December 13) retrieved 13 December 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-12-misinformation-inevitable-biological-reality-nature.html

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