Collaborate Disseminate
It has been known for some time now that chemicals produced by certain ants have antibiotic properties. For the first time ever, however, one species of ant has recently been observed actually using those chemicals to treat infected battle wounds on ot… Continue reading Ants produce life-saving antibiotics for treating infected wounds
Australia’s native meat ants are struggling. Invasive species of foreign ants have a foothold on the continent, and are increasingly outcompeting their native rivals for territory. Beyond simple encroachment, they …read more Continue reading Saving Australia’s Ants With Age of Empires II
Playing dead is a common defense mechanism in the animal kingdom, but scientists in Australia have discovered an example on a whole new scale. Entire colonies of ants were found to be feigning death, in a collective behavior that’s never been recorded … Continue reading Ant colonies perform strange group behavior never recorded before
Ants can be found in huge numbers in almost all of the world’s regions and habitats. But how did they become the most populous, highly diverse insect species on the planet? Scientists may have an answer, and it has to do with plants.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Ants and plants: A 60-million-year-old evolutionary friendship
One ant is not very smart, but put a bunch of them together and they can achieve some remarkable things. Inspired by this emergent cooperative behavior, Harvard researchers have built robots that can work together to escape from a “prison,” without nee… Continue reading Ant-inspired robot swarm works together to bust out of jail
The next time an inquisitive four-year-old asks how many ants there are on Earth, you can be ready to fire back a specific number. Researchers in Germany have scoured the scientific literature to come up with an answer to that question, as well as the … Continue reading Scientists tally up the total number of ants on Earth
One of nature’s most intriguing horror stories is that of the fungus that “zombifies” ants to spread its spores. Now, researchers have discovered the oldest known example of this kind of parasite at work, preserved in ancient amber.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Novel “zombie ant” fungus discovered in ancient amber
Although spiders do help us by eating pests such as mosquitos, many people still aren’t wild about having the things in their homes. Such folks may be interested in new research which suggests that ant chemicals could be used to harmlessly keep spiders… Continue reading Fire ant chemicals may find use as eco-friendly spider deterrent
Eternal youth is the first thing many of us might wish for if we stumbled onto a genie or a magic monkey’s paw, but there’s always a catch. Now, scientists have discovered a version of this story playing out in ant nests, as parasites drastically exten… Continue reading Parasite grants ants “eternal youth” – but there’s a dark side
The success of a colony of ants is one big exercise in collaboration, with the insects known to share all manner of responsibilities, from forming conveyor belts for food transport to construction of their nest. Scientists have now discovered a fascina… Continue reading Army ants build safety scaffolds to catch their falling friends