How do ants move heavy loads?
Posted: 30 Jul 2015, 06:47Scientists in Israel have discovered how ants co-operate to move big chunks of food back to their nests.
A large team of ants does the heavy lifting but they lack direction, while a small number of "scouts" intervene and steer for short periods.
They appear to have a mathematically perfect balance between individuality and conformism, the researchers said.
The discovery was made by analysing videos of ants carrying oversized food items, including Cheerios.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/33692054
A large team of ants does the heavy lifting but they lack direction, while a small number of "scouts" intervene and steer for short periods.
They appear to have a mathematically perfect balance between individuality and conformism, the researchers said.
The discovery was made by analysing videos of ants carrying oversized food items, including Cheerios.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/33692054