(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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There are more than 3,000 species of termites in the world, all living in social colonies with distinct hierarchies. They can be devastating pests, with the ability to destroy entire buildings. But they're also ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2013
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Natural selection can be an agonizingly long process. Some organisms have a way of taking matters into their own hands, or—in the case of the ant species Cerapachys biroi—mandibles.
Plants & Animals
Feb 1, 2013
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