Smell is the crucial sense that holds ant society together, helping the insects recognize, communicate and cooperate with one another

By Laurence Zwiebel, Professor of Biological Sciences and of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University
Stephen Ferguson, Postdoctoral Scholar in Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University

Ants can be found in nearly every location on Earth, with rough estimates suggesting there are over 10 quadrillion individuals – that is a 1 followed by 16 zeroes, or about 1 million ants per person. Ants are among the most biologically successful animals on the planet.

A surprising part of their evolutionary success is the amazing sense of smell that lets them recognize, communicate and cooperate with one another.

Ants live in complex colonies,…

Read complete article

~	Jobseekers get about $345 less than pensioners each fortnight. This gap is hurting, and is set to widen without change

~	What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?

~	Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might think

~	We’re all feeling the collective grief and trauma of violence against women – but this is the progress we have made so far

~	Getting to know Alexandra Philbin: A Q&A with an Irish language activist

~	Trump trial reveals details about how the former president thinks about, and exploits, the media

~	Why the potential for another Donald Trump presidency is making Iran very nervous

~	Labor facing heavy defeat in Queensland, but faring better in federal polls

~	We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago

~	What do we lose when our old suburbs disappear?