The Daily Ant

Myrmecology Dies in Darkness

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Category: Reports

  • The Spiral of Death

    We get it. We really do. Sometimes you feel aimless, like your life is simply going around in circles. Today is like yesterday and the day prior, and the forecast for tomorrow indicates an 89% chance of more of the same. The slog is long. Today, we’re here to provide some encouragement to you: At…

  • Would You Trust an Ant Surgeon?

    If you are a Camponotus floridanus carpenter ant, you certainly would – at least, according to a recent study published in July of this year in Current Biology. Many thanks to Correspondant Mike Schellman for bringing to our attention this one-minute video that concisely breaks down the results of this surprising study: Incidentally, this is…

  • When Ant Love Turns Sour

    Myrmecophile. That’s a word. It’s a big word, too. It’s a word that means “ant lover”, so it is also a word that could apply to you, dear reader. Usually, “myrmecophile” describes any of an impressively large number of species that have close-knit relationships with ants. We have myrmecophiles on the mind today, because we…

  • The Sincerest Form of Flattery

    Ants are so beautiful that even the true bugs wanna be them. Check out this ant mimic larvae in the order Hemiptera (the “true bugs”), shared on Twitter by PhD student Naoto Idogawa (井戸川直人) of Kyoto University. Remember, though it may be hard to believe, this is *not* an ant! One of the clearest signs…

  • Hell Ants in Three Acts

    The year is 98787980 B.C.E. You gaze upon the reflection looking back at you from a tiny puddle in the soil. It’s a Caputoraptor elegans nymph! You are a Caputoraptor elegans nymph. While scurrying around to find some food, you idly ponder the relatively pleasant and carefree nature of your existence. Mere seconds after you…

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 16: Ants in Washington Park

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. Today’s episode was recorded on the move, as our editor-in-chief took his daily stroll outside in a park (keeping 12 ft or more away from the nearest person, of course). We hope that learning a little about…

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 14: Gut Bacteria

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. For our 14th episode, we (remotely) sat down with guest Dr. Manuela Ramalho, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers! Figure from…

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 13: The End of My Ant Jerry

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers!

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 12: The Odorous House Ant

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers!

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 11: Sewer Ants and Murder

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers!

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 10: Nocturnal Ants in Kansas

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers!

  • Social Insect Distancing – Ep. 9: Photonic Structure Biomimicry

    In response to the ongoing pandemic, we are producing a short, no-frills daily podcast series: “Social Insect Distancing”. We hope that learning a little about ants will provide cross-species comfort for anxious human readers!