For ants, the ability to instantly distinguish nestmates from outsiders who might hijack the colony is crucial. Now, a new study shows that the system that ants use to determine who belongs in the ...

Ant colony nests are known for their impenetrability. These highly organized insect societies will soon detect an intruder’s ...

In this video, I raised a queen trap-jaw ant into an entire ant colony and simulated real-world events to observe the ants' ...

Summary: New research reveals that the ability of ants to distinguish nestmates from outsiders is a highly flexible, learned behavior rather than a rigid genetic program. Using clonal raider ants, ...

A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in ...

In colonies of certain social insects, such as ants, individuals are specialized for particular jobs. For instance, different ants can be responsible for foraging, brood care, nest maintenance, waste ...

Humans are not the only animals to have a dedicated health care system. Some super-organized ant species not only recognize ...

According to a new study out of Rockefeller University, the way that ant colonies make group decisions closely mimics the way neurons behave in the human brain. In other words, they follow a colony ...

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 ...

Biologist E.O. Wilson once wrote that "ants are the most warlike of all animals," noting that clashes between ant colonies dwarfed the human battles at Waterloo and Gettysburg. But sometimes ant ...

Think of it as mathematics with a bite: Researchers at CU Boulder have uncovered the statistical rules that govern how gigantic colonies of fire ants form bridges, ladders and floating rafts. In the ...