The Daily Ant
Myrmecology Dies in Darkness
Author: Benjamin Blanchard
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Termites are not ants. Yet, in also being eusocial, termites exhibit several behaviors that resemble ants, such as foraging for food via chemical trails. Termites and ants are also natural enemies, and several ant species are specialist predators of their distantly-related insect cousins. But how do the ants track their prey? A study recently published…
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The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy. This is the eighteenth contribution in the series, submitted by Dr. Curtis Franks. Towards a ‘Pataphysics of Anthills A quick Google search of the noun-phrase “Ant Hill” turns up fifty-three million articles about Clarence Thomas and almost nothing about…
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Antrepid reader Megan Mitchell recently sent us the following note: Ant facts featured on this week’s (episode 169) “No Such Thing as a Fish” podcast! Relevant bit starts at 27:36. [Link] At first, as we began to listen, we were excited. The story begins with a nice quote about giant ants in India, from the…
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The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy. This is the seventeenth contribution in the series, submitted posthumously by the Right Honorable Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. [Editor’s note: a〈◊〉symbol indicates missing text] Of the Ant Mark but the little Ant, how she doth run, In…
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This week was an odd one. It featured Theatre Thursday on Wednesday, Philosophy Phriday on Thursday, and an endorsement of ants by a key public defender of James Comey the same week the latter testified before Congress (oh, and that was weird too). So, we’ve decided to continute the oddity with a special edition post…
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The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy. This is the sixteenth contribution in the series, submitted by Dustin Crummett. Ants and the Problem of Evil Theists are people who, like me, believe in an all-good and all-powerful God. Theists face the problem of evil: the problem…
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The Daily Ant is establishing an intermittent ant film series, Theatre Thursdays. This inaugural installment is by our Film Correspondant Derek Langston. Enjoy! Six-legged Celluloid Presents… A review of Empire of the Ants: “Ant Misbehavin!” Directed by Bert I. Gordon, Empire of the Ants is one of many films among Gordon’s giant/mutated/deformed abominations against humanity genre. It is based…
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Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog, understands what is truly the best thing ever: https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/871486053626007552
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The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy. This is the fifteenth contribution in the series, submitted by Dr. Michael Rea. Ants and the Hiddenness of God If God loves us, why doesn’t God openly communicate with us? This question resonates with a lot of people. My first…
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This morning, entomologist and photographer Gil Wizen shared an excellent image of Daceton armigerum, arguably the best of the trap-jaw ants: Head closeup of a myrmicine trap-jaw ant (Daceton armigerum). One of the most beautiful and awkwardly-shaped ants out there. pic.twitter.com/BNH441znIx — Gil Wizen (@wizentrop) May 28, 2017 This Sunday is already proving to be a great one!
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The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy. This is the fourteenth contribution in the series, submitted by Amber Carlson. She’s a Man(t)eater What do Hall and Oates, anti-feminists, and myrmecologists have in common? They’re each concerned with “maneaters.” Hall and Oates are famous for their depiction of…
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Yes, Anty Gin! Symbiotic Correspondant Matt Nelsen shared with us this intoxicating beauty, hailing from The Cambridge Distillery:
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