The emergent complexity of ant societies is one of the most fascinating phenomena in the natural world: how do these tiny creatures form such intricate social networks? These networks are so nuanced ...

A few months ago, I awoke to find a streak spanning the length of my kitchen wall that looked like it had been drawn there ...

To ants, survival of the fittest is a sham. A new study has found that instead of competing for resources, working together has evolutionary advantages. A team of scientists led by Daniel Kronauer, an ...

Some people change careers, and it seems that the Harpegnathos saltator ant can do the same; worker ants can switch to queen-like figures that are known as gamergates. Worker ants are not able to ...

Deep inside an ant nest, some of the youngest members are primed to die for the group. When infection strikes, these baby ants do not just fall sick and fade away. They actively trigger their own ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Crickets are parasites—for some ant colonies. The species of ant ...

Like a brain, an ant colony operates without central control. Each is a set of interacting individuals, either neurons or ants, using simple chemical interactions that in the aggregate generate their ...

Why would an ant walk in an endless circle until it dies of starvation and exhaustion? Known as an ant death spiral, or circular milling, this deadly phenomenon can cause hundreds of ants to follow ...

It was a cloudy spring day in late March and the temperature was just above 40 degrees. After several days of damp weather and cooler temperatures, I decided to take a walk along the Ice Age Trail on ...

Scientists describe the behavior as "altruistic signalling," a form of social immunity in eusocial insects A new research study finds infected ant pupae emit a chemical signal that prompts workers to ...

Move over, ant farms — ant hospitals are where the real action is. Scientists studying the behavior of African Matabele ants in Ivory Coast have found that the insects act like paramedics in a crisis, ...