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Home > News > Tags > ants
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The zombie-ant fungus is renowned for its ability to infect ants, and then make the insects spread its spores before finally killing them. A new study demonstrates that the ants may not be alone in their fight against this invader. Another parasite that can infect them has “anti-zombification” effects.
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7 May 2012
05:06 GMT |
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Over the past few years, robotics experts have been working on developing intelligent robots, capable of conducting a wide array of missions. Right now, scientists based at the Georgia Tech University are working on emulating ants' teamwork and snake movements in two new classes of robots.
These machines would ... |
23 January 2012
03:49 GMT |
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A common species of African ant was recently discovered to prefer fighting long-range, rather than melee. The insects are able to deploy a venomous vapor from their stingers, which is deadly even from a great distance.
In a study conducted in Cameroon, investigators witnessed a battle between 15 ants of the Crematog... |
15 December 2011
05:38 GMT |
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A group of investigators at the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, argue in a new study that they were able to develop a new imaging technique, which enables them to use computer tomography (CT) in order to monitor how ants move and setup their colonies.
This approach allows for the creation of a four-... |
23 September 2011
09:19 GMT |
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A team of investigators announces the discovery of a protection mechanism that a certain type of wasps employs again a species of ants. The two often find themselves in direct competition over the same food sources, and confrontations are never decided easily.At first, it may seem hilarious that the massive wasps sho... |
31 March 2011
03:57 GMT |
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Longhorn crazy ants are a peculiar species of insects. They can mate with their siblings to produce viable offspring, but experience none of the effects of inbreeding that other species experience if they take the same approach to reproduction.It would also appear that this strategy is helping the ants establish a wo... |
2 February 2011
04:52 GMT |
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Analyzing the social behavior of insects is one of the main avenues of research today, as experts hope that sequencing genomes of ants and other creatures might shed some insight into what makes communities and groups stick together. Understanding the evolution of complex societies, such as those formed by termites a... |
1 February 2011
03:53 GMT |
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A new research carried out by the University of Exeter has concluded that ants have a very big impact on the ecosystem they live in, because of their 'ecosystem engineers' and predator skills.The study was conducted in Germany, where it focused on the impact of the presence of different combinations and den... |
1 February 2011
02:12 GMT |
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University of Sydney researchers have proof that ants are quite some maths experts, being capable of solving not just complex mathematical problems, but acting like very advanced computer algorithms – adapting to a changed problem and figuring out the best solution.This discovery reminds us that nature is very ... |
10 December 2010
10:55 GMT |
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In a new scientific study, investigators managed to discover about 13 species of ants in the middle of New York City. The insects were discovered even in the most unlikely, highly-urbanized areas. The research demonstrated that the ant population of the city is as diverse as its inhabitants. The three major streets t... |
8 November 2010
04:53 GMT |
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In a new set of investigation, researchers looked at how very small ant colonies, containing on average just about 200 members, choose a new home when their old one is destroyed. The team learned that there is no single ant that calls the shots, and that the decisions are taken by the collective intelligence.These so... |
3 November 2010
05:41 GMT |
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In a classic case of David versus Goliath, a certain type of ants has recently been shown capable of deterring elephants from eating Acacia drepanolobium trees. At first, very few people believe that the small insects can have any possible influence on a creature countless times larger than they are. However, th... |
3 September 2010
03:58 GMT |
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It would appear that ants are also capable of harnessing the power of antibiotics for keeping their colonies alive, just like humans do. The finding was made by experts in the United Kingdom.The research team, based at the University of East Anglia, conducted a series of investigations on the renowned fungus-farming ... |
27 August 2010
09:06 GMT |
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An international collaboration of scientists has just released the results of a new investigation, which managed to sequence the full genomes of two socially-divergent ant species. The finding can be used to derive more data on the role of epigenetics in aging and behavior. Generally, the concept of epigenetics is us... |
27 August 2010
05:02 GMT |
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For many years, researchers have been wondering as to what exactly causes the intriguing relations that develop between the size of an organism and the rate at which its metabolism runs. Now, a team of scientists believes it may have discovered an explanation.Inside complex organisms, metabolic rates are used as indi... |
27 August 2010
04:32 GMT |
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Biologists say that, while humans have been struggling to achieve methods of exercising mind control over each other, the animal kingdom has been doing it for millions of years. Scientists say that creatures controlling other animals' brains are not a new concept in nature. There are numerous cases in which... |
18 August 2010
07:07 GMT |
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Biologists know that ants are just as vulnerable as we are to infections from fungi, parasites and bacteria. The small insects also have immune systems, but one major difference from humans is that their colony is their immunity, not the single individual. In a series of new studies, researchers have determined that ... |
5 May 2010
08:47 GMT |
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Ants generally find their food by foraging on the forest floor. Sometimes they need to travel extensive distances in order to get sufficient supplies for a day, and then they have to repeat the same process the following day. More than 50 million years ago, some ants figured out that growing various fungi inside the ... |
28 April 2010
09:05 GMT |
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There are several tales circulating around about how kids from small towns make it big in metropolises, through honesty, hard work and dedication. A new study shows that this may also be true for a particular ant species as well. Colonies of the odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) develop unexpectedly when placed in... |
1 April 2010
09:54 GMT |
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While, most of the times, ants are extremely civilized creatures, working together for the common good, they are sometimes more vicious than humans. Their colonies have equal chances of surviving or dying during their first year, so the amount of workers queens produce is absolutely essential. Several queens may exis... |
2 March 2010
15:01 GMT |
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In a paper published in the latest issue of the respected scientific journal Animal Behavior, experts detail the amazing smelling abilities of Tunisian desert ants. The creatures are part of a larger group of animals that can sense two different smells, coming from two different directions, at the same time. This all... |
1 March 2010
07:01 GMT |
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Most ant species are renowned for their amazing altruistic behavior, which puts that of many humans to shame. The insects are capable of self-sacrifice of the highest order for the good of the colony, and this has been further demonstrated in a recent study. Investigators have shown that members of the species Temnot... |
15 February 2010
10:03 GMT |
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British scientists from the Royal Holloway, University of London, have recently revealed in a new scientific paper that the famous acacia plants actually have a symbiotic relationship with their ants. For all intents and purposes, these plants always appear to be overrun with the six-legged insects, which feed on the... |
28 December 2009
02:33 GMT |
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Leaf-cutter ants are arguably among the most amazing living things in the entire world. They are mostly renowned for their ability to grow fungus “gardens” and also for the fact that they can carry chunks of leaves that are several times their body size and weight. Now, scientists have found yet another r... |
20 November 2009
01:17 GMT |
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It would appear that ants, besides being some of the most organized and widespread creatures on the face of the planet, are also loyal comrades. In experimental setups, they were found to return after comrades that had been ensnared using an unconventional trap. Those who returned for the prisoner made all possible e... |
9 November 2009
02:21 GMT |
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Ant colonies, and ants generally, are known for their resilience, and for their ability to apply textbook military strategies to overcome their enemies. The thing is, they sometimes help write the textbook itself. Such was recently the case, when experts at the University of Granada turned to colonies for inspiration... |
6 November 2009
10:32 GMT |
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Naturalists and biologists were amazed at the discovery of one of the most dangerous, invasive and subversive species of fungus ever known to man, which displays a remarkable activity of ensuring its survival. It can take control of carpenter ants' brains, and turns them into zombies, which are then manipulating... |
12 August 2009
10:43 GMT |
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For the first time, researchers studying the behavior of the Asian super ant Lasius neglectus have discovered that the small insects seem to have a rather morbid attraction to electrical installations. This liking that the ants have taken in wires, which the experts plastically call the “kamikaze attraction,&rd... |
3 August 2009
02:01 GMT |
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For a long time, ants have been appreciated by experts in the scientific community as some of the most intelligent and advanced creatures on the planet. Their complex network of interactions allowed them, over the years, to form some of the most complex societies in existence today, rivaling our own in number and spe... |
23 July 2009
02:51 GMT |
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Aphids are generally known for having a society that is separated in classes, in which workers collect food, soldiers fight enemies, and others attend to the youngsters. But a new research has revealed that these tiny insects are full of surprises. Scientists noted that the soldier class not only engaged in battles, ... |
6 July 2009
04:38 GMT |
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Talk about world domination! We, humans, live under the impression that we are the most widespread and numerous species on the planet, when the reality couldn't be much further from this “truth,” as evidenced recently by a groundbreaking discovery. It would appear that the three mega colonies of Arge... |
1 July 2009
15:01 GMT |
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Argentine ants are a very curious species, on account of the fact that they are among the few animals in the world that have a “morgue,” and workers dealing specifically with carrying away the bodies of the dead. But the workers are pretty much blind, and they must rely on their senses to identify their n... |
5 May 2009
04:26 GMT |
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The common garden ant (L. neglectus) has only been discovered in 1990, when it had already infested numerous cities throughout Europe, from the Black Sea to Germany. These insects number in the millions and are now moving north, towards Denmark, the Baltic states and the UK. There is little anyone can do about it, gi... |
3 December 2008
03:20 GMT |
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A huge colony of ants is reportedly chewing its way to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, destroying computer networks and even cars. The invasion may pose a security risk for the space center, which relies on electronics for its research, and the government agency has already called for exterminator suppor... |
16 May 2008
03:07 GMT |
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