The Daily Ant
Myrmecology Dies in Darkness
Author: Benjamin Blanchard
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Life is priceless even to an ant. — 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, June Fourth Elegies (2012)
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As our regular readers understand, ants should be highly appreciated. However, there are some animals in nature that have not yet learned this valuable lesson. In a recent paper published in Biodiversity Data Journal, Dr. Brian Brown and colleagues highlight one such unenlightened group of critters: phorid flies.
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After a brief, unexpected hiatus due to various factors (none too serious), The Daily Ant is back! We apologize to our colony of readers for the recent lack of premier ant content. Be on the lookout for our next post!
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The Daily Ant is busy following the Australian Open semifinal match between Venus Williams and Coco Vandeweghe, and we just came across an interesting organization: America’s Next Tennis Stars (ANTS). The Daily Ant cannot vouch for ANTS, but we enthusiastically endorse their name.
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Are you overworked? Are you feeling stressed? Do you need a drink, but feel like all your favorites are missing something special? Well, if you’re in Singapore, try putting ants in your drink: According to a recent article in Mashable, a new bar in Singapore, Native Cocktail Bar, is now serving a yogurt-based libation that comes topped with “larger…
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Not much time today to write a whole post, but this article in the New York Times is probably a nice discussion about Dr. Daniel Kronauer and his ant work.
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Loyal readers of The Daily Ant will remember our coverage of the nomadic ants that harvest mushrooms in Southeast Asia. Well, we are now happy to highlight a special jewelry store in Chicago: Nomadic Ant. Perhaps some day we’ll stop by to ask the owner about the store’s excellent name. Update: The Nomadic Ant has agreed to an…
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Any casual observer of ants has probably discovered that, somehow, ants are able to return to their colony even when walking backwards. A new study in Current Biology by Sebastian Swartz and colleagues has shown just how one ant species, Cataglyphis velox, achieves such accurate navigation. It turns out that foraging workers take little peeks forward every once…
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Even kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God. — Guru Nanak, Sri Guru Granth Sahib (1469-1539)
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There has been much discussion about the throngs of people that will march in D.C. tomorrow and over the weekend in response to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States of America. Many will be marching in protest of Donald Trump and his policies, including the Women’s March on Washington among others.…
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I didn’t manage to write a post for today, but a recent study suggests that laziness may not be a bad thing – at least in ants. I guess I managed to write a post for today.
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At 2:00pm Eastern Time today, The Ant Network won the Audience Awards video contest by a mere 34 votes. With an endorsement from The Daily Ant, this stunning victory exemplifies the power of collective action. The Ant Network, led by Miles Maxcer, will be promoting conservation and science outreach through ants, and will receive $1,000 of start-up funds for their contest victory.
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