Posts Tagged ‘ants’
Wait for it: Ants pick perfect time to forage
STANFORD (US) — A biologist’s decades-long study of the collective behavior of harvester ant colonies has provided a rare real-time look at natural selection at work. Continue…
Thursday, May 16, 2013 12:01 - 2 Comments
Science & Technology - Mar 6, 2013 12:19 - 0 Comments
Leaf-cutting ants prefer low-fungi leaves
TULANE (US) — A leaf’s fungi can make it unappealing to leaf-cutting ants, say biologists, who wanted to know why the insects target some plants but not others. (more…)
Top Stories - Feb 11, 2013 13:20 - 1 Comment
Queen ant mates once, stores sperm for 20 years
STANFORD (US) — The queen harvester ant can continue to produce new ants 20 to 30 years after a single mating. (more…)
Top Stories - Sep 11, 2012 9:53 - 0 Comments
Ants take in smells with hi-def sniffers
VANDERBILT / U. PENNSYLVANIA (US) — Ants have four to five times more odor receptors than most other insects, say scientists, who completed the first full map of their olfactory system. (more…)
Science & Technology - Aug 24, 2012 12:27 - 2 Comments
‘Anternet’ algorithm works like the web
STANFORD (US) — The way harvester ants decide how many foragers should go find food is surprisingly similar to how internet protocols assess bandwidth, say researchers. (more…)
Science & Technology - Aug 6, 2012 14:31 - 0 Comments
Beetles eavesdrop on ant pheromone chatter
U. MICHIGAN (US) — Predatory beetles can detect the unique alarm signal released by ants being attacked by parasitic flies, and use what they overhear to pick safe egg-laying sites on coffee bushes. (more…)
Top Stories - May 3, 2012 16:41 - 1 Comment
Parasite ‘castrates’ zombie-ant fungus
PENN STATE (US) — Ant colonies attacked by the zombie-ant fungus can survive with the help of a second parasite that keeps the infectious spores in check. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 23, 2012 10:43 - 1 Comment
Ants recall nearby rivals by their stink
U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Weaver ants share a collective memory for the odor of ants in rival nests, and use that information to identify them and compete. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 6, 2012 16:31 - 2 Comments
Finally! A fungus that fights fire ants
U. FLORIDA (US) — After years of searching, scientists may have identified a fungus to control fire ant infestations. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 9, 2012 12:50 - 1 Comment
Hormones unleash ant’s inner ‘Hulk’
MCGILL (CAN) — Researchers report hormones can reawaken ancestral genes in ants—genes that produce giant-headed “supersoldiers.” (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 30, 2011 14:26 - 1 Comment
Chemical in spider silk repels ant attack
U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Researchers have shown for the first time how Golden orb web spiders (Nephila antipodiana) add a chemical to their web silk to repel invading ants. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 6, 2011 10:37 - 1 Comment
‘Caste’ genes evolve quickly in social bugs
GEORGIA TECH (US) — Genes responsible for different sexes, life stages, and castes in fire ants, honeybees, and other social insects evolve faster than others not involved in those functions, according to new research. (more…)
Top Stories - Jun 15, 2011 11:48 - 1 Comment
Chem war: Native ants poison invaders
STANFORD (US) — Argentine ants—seemingly set on world domination—may have finally met their match in California’s plucky and poisonous native “winter ants.” (more…)
Earth & Environment - Mar 2, 2011 13:44 - 0 Comments
Big ants are kings of the hill
YALE (US) — When it comes to ants and energy usage, big and mean beats small and green. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 28, 2011 13:24 - 2 Comments
Invasion of the fire ants! (Blame Dixie)
U. FLORIDA (US) — The worldwide explosion of red imported fire ants can be traced all but entirely to the southern United States. (more…)
Top Stories - Feb 22, 2011 12:29 - 0 Comments
Texas ants cultivate cold-hardy fungus
RICE / U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — The Texas leaf-cutter ant (Atta texana), whose ancestors emigrated from the tropics, adapted to the relatively colder Texas winters in an unusual way—through their food. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 31, 2011 21:34 - 2 Comments
Genomes of menacing ants sequenced
UC BERKELY (US) — By sequencing the genome of the highly invasive Argentine ant—and of three other ant species—researchers have uncovered a how-to guide for being an unstoppable pest. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 13, 2010 0:03 - 0 Comments
Social safety net for dull ants
U. OREGON (US) — When leaf-cutter ants wear out their razor-sharp mandibles, they still can be productive members of their society, a new study shows. They change jobs, carrying the leaves their sharper sisters cut. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 6, 2010 23:42 - 0 Comments
Pest control à la nature on coffee farm
U. MICHIGAN (US)—A 10-year study of an organic coffee farm in Mexico has uncovered a web of intricate interactions that buffers the farm against extreme outbreaks of pests and diseases. (more…)
