(Phys.org) —A small band of NASA engineers and interns is about to begin testing a group of robots and related software that will show whether it's possible for autonomous machines to scurry about an alien world such as ...
Robotics
Aug 22, 2014
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A parasitic fungus that must kill its ant hosts outside their nest to reproduce and transmit their infection, manipulates its victims to die in the vicinity of the colony, ensuring a constant supply of potential new hosts, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 18, 2014
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(Phys.org) —The ritualized fighting behavior of one ant species is linked to increases in dopamine levels that trigger dramatic physical changes in the ants without affecting their DNA, according to research from North ...
Plants & Animals
May 12, 2014
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All animals have to make decisions every day. Where will they live and what will they eat? How will they protect themselves? They often have to make these decisions as a group, too, turning what may seem like a simple choice ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 7, 2013
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When water is scarce, Ecuador laurel trees ramp up their investment in a syrupy treat that sends resident ant defenders into overdrive, protecting the trees from defoliation by leaf-munching pests.
Plants & Animals
Nov 5, 2013
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Mercenary soldiers are notoriously unreliable because their loyalty is as thin as the banknotes they get paid, and they may turn against their employers before moving on to the next dirty job. Not so in fungus-farming ants, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 9, 2013
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Cities have long been likened to organisms, ant colonies, and river networks. But these and other analogies fail to capture the essence of how cities really function.
Mathematics
Jun 20, 2013
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(Phys.org)—Pathogenic salmonellae rely on a division of labour: some of them see to the common wellbeing, while others are able to stand up to free rider salmonellae better. This teamwork bears certain similarities to that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 21, 2013
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The recently published genome sequences of seven well-studied ant species are opening up new vistas for biology and medicine. A detailed look at molecular mechanisms that underlie the complex behavioral differences in two ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 13, 2013
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Ants are just about everywhere you look, and yet it's largely unknown how they manage to be so ubiquitous. Scientists have understood the carnal mechanism of ant reproduction, but until now have known little of how successful ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2013
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