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Heroic altruistic ants face death alone to save colony
bbc ^ | 15 February 2010 | Matt Walker

Posted on 02/20/2010 5:05:13 PM PST by JoeProBono

Ants live altruistically, but some die altruistically too.

When ants of the species Temnothorax unifasciatus get sick, they abandon their nest, walking far away from their relatives to die alone.

They perform this act of heroism to prevent the illness that is killing them from spreading to the colony.

The discovery, published in Current Biology, is the first time that such behaviour has been shown in ants or any other social insect.

Professor Jurgen Heinze and PhD student Bartosz Walter decided to investigate the ants' behaviour after becoming interested in anecdotal reports of dying individuals deserting their families.

The workers left the nest voluntarily and were not carried away

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: ants; healthcare; jpb; obamacare
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1 posted on 02/20/2010 5:05:13 PM PST by JoeProBono
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To: JoeProBono

The model for 0bamacare.


2 posted on 02/20/2010 5:05:55 PM PST by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: pnh102

3 posted on 02/20/2010 5:06:39 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

I wish Congress, as a whole, were as smart as ONE terminally ill ant. ;)


4 posted on 02/20/2010 5:07:15 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: JoeProBono

Aww....


5 posted on 02/20/2010 5:07:28 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

6 posted on 02/20/2010 5:08:11 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

It should be noted that worker ants are non-reproductive. They can be replaced and, genetically, the colony remains unchanged.


7 posted on 02/20/2010 5:09:50 PM PST by gundog (A republic...if you can keep it.)
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To: gundog

8 posted on 02/20/2010 5:11:16 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

Altruism is actually evil.

A true human altruist, like these ants, acts without regard to God out of a sterile internal determination that they have a duty to act.

There is no love in altruism, and wiithout love there is no heroism.

We often misuse the word “altruist” and apply to true heroes who are motivated by real love of neighbor rooted in God.

Referring to ants as heroes and altruists is an opportunity to drive home the distinction.


9 posted on 02/20/2010 5:11:16 PM PST by Notwithstanding (Wer glaubt ist nie allein. Who believes is never alone.)
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To: pnh102

...think there’s a federal ant panel that determine who has to stay?


10 posted on 02/20/2010 5:12:06 PM PST by americanophile (Good luck Team USA! Bring home the gold!)
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To: pnh102

Take the red pill, you don’t really need the hip replacement!


11 posted on 02/20/2010 5:14:15 PM PST by GeronL (I pledge allegiance to the Principles of the Bill of Rights and to protect and defend it...)
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To: JoeProBono

And why do I say altruism is evil?

Because a true altruist does what HE thinks must be done based on a wholly internal set of criteria - having determined that in a vacuum devoid of God.


12 posted on 02/20/2010 5:14:22 PM PST by Notwithstanding (Wer glaubt ist nie allein. Who believes is never alone.)
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To: Notwithstanding

13 posted on 02/20/2010 5:14:32 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

14 posted on 02/20/2010 5:14:42 PM PST by stormer
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To: Notwithstanding

Exactly, there is no conscious intent here by the ant.


15 posted on 02/20/2010 5:15:43 PM PST by GeronL (I pledge allegiance to the Principles of the Bill of Rights and to protect and defend it...)
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To: stormer

16 posted on 02/20/2010 5:15:55 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: Notwithstanding

These communist ants will rot in hell.


17 posted on 02/20/2010 5:16:11 PM PST by BRL
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To: BRL

18 posted on 02/20/2010 5:17:19 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono; basil; Arrowhead1952

Back in the late 80s- eary 90s, in Central Texas, we had the worst swarm of fire ants. Your weekends were spent killing mounds and everyday someone you knew - usually a child - would get viciously attacked, tens and twentys of bites.

They shorted our A/C contacts non-stop.

One strange thing I did notice during this explosion is that I’d find little mounds of dead ant bodies in places like the bathroom that grew. At night, I’d see maybe ten, then the next day the pile would be half an inch high.

I always assumed these were ant graveyards but maybe the ants were piling themselves up and dying.


19 posted on 02/20/2010 5:21:07 PM PST by txhurl
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To: JoeProBono

20 posted on 02/20/2010 5:24:02 PM PST by stormer
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