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Ant

Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects in the animal kingdom and are of particular interest because they are a social insect and form highly organized colonies or nests, often consisting of millions of individuals.

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Ant", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For more information, see the following related content on ScienceDaily:

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New Insights Into the Complex Neurochemistry of Ants

May 22, 2023 — Ants' brains are amazingly sophisticated organs that enable them to coordinate complex behavior patterns such as the organization of colonies. Now, researchers have developed a method that ...

Swapping Spit Helps Ants Share Metabolic Labor

Nov. 16, 2021 — Ant colonies use fluids passed mouth-to-mouth to create a colony-wide metabolism, shows a new ...

Ant Pupae Secrete Fluid as 'Milk' to Nurture Young Larvae

Nov. 30, 2022 — Life in an ant colony is a symphony of subtle interactions between insects acting in concert, more like cells in tissue than independent organisms bunking in a colony. Now, researchers have ...

Mushroom Growing out of Fossilized Ant Reveals New Genus and Species of Fungal Parasite

June 22, 2021 — Oregon State University research has identified the oldest known specimen of a fungus parasitizing an ant, and the fossil also represents a new fungal genus and ...

Ant Colonies Behave Like Neural Networks When Making Decisions

July 22, 2022 — Colonies decide to flee rising temperatures in much the same way that neural computations give rise to ...

Robot Helps Reveal How Ants Pass on Knowledge

Aug. 9, 2022 — Scientists have developed a small robot to understand how ants teach one ...

Active Matter Theory Explains Fire-Ant Group Behavior

Jan. 19, 2023 — Ants are social insects and the Solenopsis invicta species -- known as the fire ant -- is no exception. The social interactions of this invasive insect, which comes from South America, are framed ...

Blood-Brain Barrier Governs Ant Behavior by Altering Hormone Levels

Sep. 7, 2023 — In many animals, including ants, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) ensures normal brain function by controlling the movement of various substances in and out of the brain. Now, researchers have made the ...

These Ants Don't Just Walk Randomly; They 'Meander' Systematically

Jan. 30, 2023 — If you've ever watched an ant searching for food, you probably assumed that they were just covering ground in a random fashion. But a study now finds that at least one species of rock ant ...

Parasites as Fountains of Youth: Study Finds Infected Ants Live Much Longer

May 27, 2021 — According to the results of a multi-year scientific study, ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi show exceptionally high survival rates when infected with a ...

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December 9, 2023

'Shocking' Discovery: Electricity from Electric Eels May Transfer Genetic Material to Nearby Animals

Dec. 5, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that electric eels can alter the genes of tiny fish larvae with their electric shock. Their findings help to better understand electroporation, a method by which genes can ...

Mice Pass the Mirror Test, a Classic Indicator of Self-Recognition

Dec. 5, 2023 — Researchers report that mice display behavior that resembles self-recognition when they see themselves in the mirror. When the researchers marked the foreheads of black-furred mice with a spot of white ink, the mice spent more time grooming their ...

More Than a Meteorite: New Clues About the Demise of Dinosaurs

Dec. 4, 2023 — What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the ...

Twin Research Indicates That a Vegan Diet Improves Cardiovascular Health

Nov. 30, 2023 — A recent trial of identical twins comparing vegan and omnivore diets found that a vegan diet improves overall cardiovascular ...

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Tiny Llama Nanobodies Neutralize Different Noroviruses: Can They Improve Human Anti-Viral Therapies?

Dec. 7, 2023 — Researchers investigated a novel strategy to neutralize human noroviruses. They tested the ability of tiny antibodies produced by llamas, called ...

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Suburban Backyard Home to More Than 1,000 Species

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How Immune Cells Recognize Their Enemies

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Dec. 8, 2023 — Marine organisms play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic ...

Immersive VR Goggles for Mice Unlock New Potential for Brain Science

Dec. 8, 2023 — New miniature virtual reality (VR) goggles provide more immersive experiences for mice living in laboratory settings. By more faithfully simulating natural environments, the researchers can more ...

Climate Change Will Increase Wildfire Risk and Lengthen Fire Seasons

Dec. 8, 2023 — Wildfires are some of the most destructive natural disasters in the country, threatening lives, destroying homes and infrastructure, and creating air pollution. In order to properly forecast and ...