Global optimization solves real-world problems numerically or analytically by minimizing their objective functions. Most of the analytical algorithms are greedy and computationally intractable. Metaheuristics are nature-inspired optimization algorithms. They numerically find a near-optimal solution for optimization problems in a reasonable amount of time. We propose a novel metaheuristic algorithm for global optimization. It is based on the shooting and jumping behaviors of the archerfish for hunting aerial insects. We name it the Archerfish Hunting Optimizer (AHO). We Perform two sorts of comparisons to validate the proposed algorithm's performance. First, AHO is compared to the 12 recent metaheuristic algorithms (the accepted algorithms for the 2020's competition on single objective bound-constrained numerical optimization) on ten test functions of the benchmark CEC 2020 for unconstrained optimization. Second, the performance of AHO and 3 recent metaheuristic algorithms, is evaluated using five engineering design problems taken from the benchmark CEC 2020 for non-convex constrained optimization. The experimental results are evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and the Friedman tests. The statistical indicators illustrate that the Archerfish Hunting Optimizer has an excellent ability to accomplish higher performance in competition with the well-established optimizers.

PARIS – A tropical fish can tell one human face from another despite lacking a brain section that homo sapiens and other "smart" animals use for this task, scientists said. The astonishing ability was demonstrated in experiments with eight archerfish, a tropical species best known for spitting pressurized water jets to shoot prey out of the air. Instead of aiming at bugs, the sharpshooting fish were taught to spit at pictures of human faces displayed on a computer monitor suspended over their aquarium. "We were pleasantly surprised at the speed at which the fish learned as well as their high degree of accuracy," said study co-author Cait Newport of the Oxford University's department of zoology. The fish, which require excellent vision for hunting, were first introduced to two faces, and conditioned to spit at one of them in exchange for a food reward.

The archerfish has a unique claim to fame, being able to shoots down prey by spitting water at them. Now, the US Navy is set to use the same principle to shoot explosives and underwater mines. It has bought 22m robot Archerfish from BAE, which can be launched from a helicopter to search and destroy mines in the sea. The Archerfish system from BAE can be launched from a helicopter to search for, then destroy mines in the sea. It can be launched from ships, helicopters and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).