As individuals, driver ants are small and relatively insignificant creatures. But as a colony, they transform into a huge and ...

The emergent complexity of ant societies is one of the most fascinating phenomena in the natural world: how do these tiny creatures form such intricate social networks? These networks are so nuanced ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. The Argentine ant is one of the most invasive species of ...

For some would-be ant queens, the easiest way to take over a colony is to dupe its worker ants into committing regicide. The scientist E.O. Wilson once wrote that ants are the most warlike of all ...

Deep inside an ant nest, some of the youngest members are primed to die for the group. When infection strikes, these baby ...

When infected by a fungal disease, ant pupae actively emit a chemical cue that prompts workers to get rid of them for the ...

Biologist E.O. Wilson once wrote that "ants are the most warlike of all animals," noting that clashes between ant colonies dwarfed the human battles at Waterloo and Gettysburg. But sometimes ant ...

Like a brain, an ant colony operates without central control. Each is a set of interacting individuals, either neurons or ants, using simple chemical interactions that in the aggregate generate their ...

The scientist E.O. Wilson once wrote that ants are the most warlike of all animals. He said clashes between ant colonies could make great military clashes seem almost small by comparison. Sometimes, ...