Showing posts with label ants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ants. Show all posts

2013-03-31

Superorganisms

Superorganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A superorganism is an organism consisting of many organisms. [...] The technical definition of a superorganism is "a collection of agents which can act in concert to produce phenomena governed by the collective,"[1] phenomena being any activity "the hive wants" such as ants collecting food or bees choosing a new nest site.


Robots Mimic Ant Colony Behavior | TechNewsDaily.com


Robot swarms can mimic how ant colonies navigate complex mazes relatively mindlessly, researchers have found ― knowledge that could help to improve designs for manmade transportation networks.

Scientists are fascinated by ant colonies because they can form collectives called "superorganisms" that function as single organisms do. Investigation into how ants behave has revealed more about how such group behavior arises, and some researchers are using that knowledge to help build smarter robot swarms, said Simon Garnier, a scientist who studies animal behavior at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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2010-12-16

Problem-solving Ants

Ants lead way to speedier computer networks : Nature News





A problem-solving tactic used by insects looks set to help engineers.

An analysis of how ants quickly find new routes in a changing maze reveals techniques that could be useful to systems engineers.


Problem-solving ants inspire next generation of algorithms - News and Events - University of Sydney


An ant colony is probably the last place you'd expect to find a maths whiz, but researchers from the University of Sydney have shown that the humble ant is not only capable of solving difficult mathematical problems, but is even able to do what few computer algorithms can - adapt the optimal solution to fit a changing problem.

These findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, deepen our understanding of how even simple animals can overcome complex and dynamic problems in nature, and will help computer scientists develop even better software to solve logistical problems and maximise efficiency in many human industries.



The ants were able to find the shortest route from one end of the maze to the other in under an hour, then were able to adapt and find the second shortest route when obstacles were put in their path.


Ants lay trail to complex problem-solving › News in Science (ABC Science)


Towers of Hanoi

In the study, Argentine ants were collected in the grounds of University of Sydney were introduced to a specially designed maze modelled on the 'Towers of Hanoi' puzzle.

The puzzle, also called 'Towers of Brahma', consists of three rods and a number of different-sized discs which have to be moved from one rod to the next without placing a larger disc on top of a smaller one. In legend, Brahmin priests are working to solve such a puzzle comprising 64 discs. When the puzzle is complete, the legend says, the world will end.

The rules for solving the problem with the minimum number of steps is called an algorithm.

Lead author Chris Reid, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, says that the best known nature inspired algorithm of this type is 'ant colony optimisation'. This involves finding the optimal path based on the behaviour of foraging ants.
Because the pheromones that ants use to mark their pathways are volatile and gradually evaporate, over time the colony selects the shortest path so that the signal remains stronger for longer.

The researchers say that most nature-inspired algorithms take only superficial inspiration from nature, and little is known about how real biological systems solve difficult problems.


Ant colony optimization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


In computer science and operations research, the ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO) is a probabilistic technique for solving computational problems which can be reduced to finding good paths through graphs.

This algorithm is a member of ant colony algorithms family, in swarm intelligence methods, and it constitutes some metaheuristic optimizations. Initially proposed by Marco Dorigo in 1992 in his PhD thesis,[1][2] the first algorithm was aiming to search for an optimal path in a graph, based on the behavior of ants seeking a path between their colony and a source of food. The original idea has since diversified to solve a wider class of numerical problems, and as a result, several problems have emerged, drawing on various aspects of the behavior of ants.


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2009-11-09

Digital Ants Protect Computers

clipped from www.treehugger.com

New Biomimicry in Digital Security - Ants Swarm to Protect Computers

ants carrying ant photo

Science Daily reports that biomimicry is playing a key role in upcoming computer security technology. By looking at the way ants call for backup and overpower invaders through sheer quantity of soldiers, security experts have devised a "digital ant" that will help human operators more quickly spot threats to computer systems.

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk

Ants inspire new computer antivirus software

Scientists have studied the behaviour of ants to develop a new generation of antivirus software for computers.

Scientists studied ants to develop new antivirus software
clipped from www.wfu.edu


Computer science professor Errin Fulp works with graduate students Brian Williams (center) and Wes Featherstun (far right), who worked this summer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developing a new type of computer network security software modeled after ants.

Computer security mimics nature

Unlike traditional security devices, which are static, these “digital ants” wander through computer networks looking for threats, such as “computer worms” — self-replicating programs designed to steal information or facilitate unauthorized use of machines. When a digital ant detects a threat, it doesn’t take long for an army of ants to converge at that location, drawing the attention of human operators who step in to investigate.

The concept, called “swarm intelligence,” promises to transform cyber security because it adapts readily to changing threats.



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Sources:
New Biomimicry in Digital Security - Ants Swarm to Protect Computers : TreeHugger
Ants inspire new computer antivirus software - Telegraph
WFU | Window on Wake Forest | Ants vs. worms: Computer security mimics nature
Related:
Ants Vs. Worms: New Computer Security Mimics Nature
Digital ants to the rescue
HowStuffWorks "How Computer Viruses Work"
Wake Forest University — Winston-Salem, North Carolina
PNNL: About PNNL
E. W. Fulp
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2009-07-01

Ant Mega-Colony Takes Over The World

clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk
Mail Online

Super-colony of ants rivals human society as population stretches around the globe

Argentine ants from three huge colonies in Europe, America and Japan are actually part of one global super-colony, scientists have revealed.

The aggressive insects were first native to South America but humans have since spread them to the four corners of the globe by mistake. The ants have quickly become nuisance pests and attacked crops and even native animals.

But while they are usually highly territorial, researchers found billions of ants living on three different continents refused to fight each other, according to BBC Earth News.

Argentine ants

Argentine ants work together to care for a larva. Scientists have discovered a mega-colony of this invasive insect species that stretches across the globe

Argentine ants

Two Argentine ants exchange aphid dew. Colonies of these ants 'farm' aphids, keeping them close by as a ready source of sugar


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clipped from news.bbc.co.uk
Ant mega-colony takes over world
Queen and worker Argentine ant (Linepithema humile)

The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.

What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.

These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.


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clipped from www.abc.net.au
Catalyst

Argentine Ants

Argentine AntsOne of the biggest feral supercolonies in the world is taking over Melbourne. The invaders are Argentine Ants, and they’ve formed a mafia that has systematically wrestled control of the suburbs from the native ants over the last 50 years. We find out how they managed to stage such a massive coup and what effects they are having on the native ecosystems.

clipped from en.wikipedia.org
Ant colony
Unicoloniality and supercolonies

Most commonly, ants from different nests exhibit aggression toward each other. However, some ants exhibit the phenomenon called unicoloniality, where worker ants freely mix between different nests. A group of nests where ants do not exhibit mutual aggression is known as a supercolony - this form of organization is known as supercoloniality, and ants from different supercolonies of the same species do exhibit mutual aggression. Populations in supercolonies do not necessarily span a contiguous area. [2]


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Sources:
  1. Super-colony of ants rivals human society as population stretches around the globe | Mail Online
  2. BBC - Earth News - Ant mega-colony takes over world
  3. Catalyst: Argentine Ants - ABC TV Science
  4. Ant colony - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Related:
  1. Multibillion Ant “Megacolony” Set to Take Over the Globe | Discoblog | Discover Magazine
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2009-05-17

Flies turn Fire Ants into Zombies

clipped from austin.decider.com
Brain-eating maggots could save Texas $1 billion, create legions of "zombie ants"
fire ant, maggots, larvae, ut, texas a&m agrilife, zombie ants, brain-eating

From the "brain-eating maggots solve every problem" file (it's a thicker file than you'd imagine): Researchers from UT and Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service are looking to curb the destructive behavior of the state's fire ant population with a species of fly whose larvae feed on ant brains.

National Geographic

Brain-Controlling Flies to Triumph Over Alien Ants?

Plentiful in fire ants' South American home ranges, phorid fly females inject their eggs into the fire ants.


The egg develops into a maggot, which appears to control the ant's behavior. The maggot "directs" the ant to a moist, leafy place—phorid larvae are vulnerable to drying out—a safe distance from other fire ants.


The larva then eats the ant's brains, causes the ant's head to fall off, then finally "hatches" from the ant's hollowed-out head about 40 days later.

PHOTOS: ''Zombie'' Ants Controlled, Decapitated by Flies

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clipped from fireant.tamu.edu
Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan
As the eggs of a new type of phorid fly develops inside the heads of red imported fire ants, it takes over the control of the host, said Dr. Scott Ludwig, Texas AgriLife Extension Service integrated pest management specialist. Ludwig released fire ants infested with the parasite at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton on April 29. (Texas AgriLife Extension photo by Robert Burns)
Fire ants infested by a new type of phorid fly released in East Texas by Dr. Scott Ludwig were raised by Dr. Lawrence Gilbert, director of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. (Texas AgriLife Extension photo by Robert Burns)
clipped from www.youtube.com

Zombie fire ants



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clipped from en.wikipedia.org
Red imported fire ant
The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it has become a pest in the southern United States, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
[...]
In the 1930s, colonies were accidentally introduced into the United States through the seaport of Mobile, Alabama[2]. Cargo ships from Brazil docking at Mobile unloaded goods infested with the ants. They have since spread from Alabama to almost every state of the American South, from Texas to Maryland. Since the 1990s, infestations have been reported in California in the West and New Mexico in the Southwest, but probably via ship or truck (not overland) in the case of California.[1].

clipped from en.wikipedia.org
File:FireantmapUSA.jpg
Fire ant distribution in the [[United states of America]].
clipped from en.wikipedia.org
File:FireAntBite.jpg

In less than 10 seconds, an unwary scientist was stung over 250 times on one leg when he carelessly knelt on a collapsed fire ant mound. The sterile pustules developed to this stage in 3 days.

clipped from www.youtube.com

Red Fire Ants


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Sources:
  1. Brain-eating maggots could save Texas $1 billion, create legions of "zombie ants" | Features | City Life | Austin | Decider
  2. Brain-Controlling Flies to Triumph Over Alien Ants?
  3. Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project - News
  4. YouTube - Zombie fire ants
  5. Red imported fire ant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  6. Fire ant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  7. YouTube - Red Fire Ants
  1. Related:
  2. Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project
  3. texas1.pdf (application/pdf Object)
  4. Texas AgriLife Extension Service
  5. Parasite turns fire ants into zombies
  6. YouTube - Zombie ants!
  7. YouTube - Invasive Fire Ants Lose Heads to Flies
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2007-11-24

Killer Ants (videos)



African driver ants, known locally as Safari ants have the largest colonies of any social insect:



They travel in columns of about twenty million at a time, and will attack anything that cannot get out of their way:



Male driver ants, sometimes known as "sausage flies" are the largest known ants:



via: Spluch: The largest ant in the world

related:
Dorylus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NPR : The Savage, Beautiful World of Army Ants
BBC - Science & Nature - Articles - Ants can't hurt you, can they?
NOVA | Master of the Killer Ants | PBS
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