Ant foraging behaviour is a paradigmatic example of sophisticated social coordination in the animal kingdom. Central to their success is the use of chemical signals, particularly trail pheromones, ...

The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom. The common perception is that the queen's only ...

In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered ...

A few months ago, I awoke to find a streak spanning the length of my kitchen wall that looked like it had been drawn there ...

Despite having identical genes, carpenter worker ants vary wildly in their behaviors and appearances. Major workers fight off predators and are bulkier than minor workers that gather food and tend to ...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been found to play a significant role in controlling behavior critical to how ant colonies function, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at ...

Data gathered through years of observation reveal an innocuous-seeming ant is disrupting an ecosystem in East Africa, illustrating the complex web of interactions among ants, trees, lions, zebras and ...

The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom. The common perception is that the queen's only ...

Invasive tawny crazy ants have been wreaking havoc across the U.S. Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, disrupting ecosystems and causing headaches for homeowners. Now scientists at The University of ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This microscopic, parasitic fungus evolved to hijack ants’ ...