Posted on 01/02/2017 4:58:36 AM PST by RoosterRedux
Ants may be smarter than we give them credit for. Tool use is seen as something brainy primates and birds do, but even the humble ant can choose the right tool for the job.
István Maák at the University of Szeged in Hungary and his team offered two species of funnel ants liquids containing water and honey along with a range of tools that might help them carry this food to their nests.
The ants experimented with the tools and chose those that were easiest to handle and could soak up plenty of liquid, such as bits of sponge or paper, despite them not being found in the insects’ natural environment.
This suggests that ants can take into account the properties of both the tool and the liquid they are transporting. It also indicates they can learn to use new tools – even without big brains.
Some ant species are known to use tools, such as mud or sand grains, to collect and transport liquid to their nests. But this is the first time they are shown to select the most suitable ones, says [...] Patrizia d’Ettorre from the University of Paris-North, France.
Tool up
To investigate this behaviour, the team offered Aphaenogaster subterranea and A. senilis ants various possible tools, both natural, such as twigs, pine needles and soil grains, and artificial.
The ants experimented with the tools and eventually showed preference for certain tools – even unfamiliar ones. The ants would drop the tool into the liquid, pick it up and then carry it to the workers back in the nest to drink from.
Subterranea workers preferred small soil grains to transfer diluted honey, and sponge for pure honey. Most of them even tore the sponge into smaller bits [for better handling].
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
Perhaps it is time to rename that particular species.
While interesting, this does not really make the case that ants are blindingly bright. I saw an ant display at a museum, in which ants would crawl up the glass wall of their enclosure and sometimes crawl too close to a light, which would burn them to death. Other ants would pick up the corpses and attempt to crawl up the same wall, often also burning to death. There was a pile of ant corpses under the light, and the living ants never seemed to figure out that they should avoid approaching the light.
The ability to make tools means what? /rhetorical
In the highest order of consciousness the subject is motivated to achieve immortality. ("Go to the light.")
Deliberate bug cruelty and should be stopped
When they start making mead out of it I’ll be impressed.
They are automatically eligible to vote Democrat.
There's an ant researcher who has a couple of youtubes showing his huge ant habitats and how he was able to herd an entire colony from one tank to another. Fascinating but still creepy......
The ability to make tools means what? /rhetorical
...
They can do a better job of running Chicago than the democrats.
I understand that they have their own patent office.
Oh those pismires!
Ants today....Borg tomorrow.
Until we learn to communicate with colonial insects, ants, termites and honey bees, we can forget trying to communicate with aliens
“Look to the O sluggard, consider her ways and be wise..’’ :-)
Unbelievable! I think I have a similar mole colony under my massive lawn.
You are missing an important noun, though O is certainly a sluggard.
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