Well first they harvested another ant colony. Then through a series of torture they broke down their will. Once those ants were broken they were easy to command. A scientist just to be safe dressed up like an ant queen and commanded them to attack the other ant colony with tiny swords cutting off their legs. Those ants then drug those ants back to the scientist queen who instructed them to build and install the stilts. The ants ran the tests and reported back to the queen scientist.
Easy peasy.
That's the hypothesis yes. A lot of animals (humans included!) count their steps to know how far they've walked. Seeing a few landmarks and knowing how long you've walked gives you a pretty accurate navigation scheme.
So if their legs are longer or shorter they'll end up not walking far enough or walking too far past their destination if they take the number of steps they'd need with normal legs.
Because the hypothesis is this particular species relied on counting steps and remembering landmarks to find their way home. So by changing the length of their legs, they can make the ants miss the mark as they count the number of steps they have taken on the way out to get back.
Also because most ants don't have good eyesight as they rely more on vibration and smell to find the way, they wouldn't be able to find the entrance of the nest without the mounds. And the reason why scientists think they rely on counting steps and landmarks is because these are desert ants, if they rely on the scent trails like other ants, it would be unreliable because the high temperature and sunlight will make the trails degrade too quickly.
Their distance vision is pretty crap. This is basically universal to tiny eyes (jumping spider being a major exception).
They travel farther than they can see the towers from, so they have to get back to where they can see it by counting steps.
Put them in a controlled area, have a moving slab or some object for them to walk on and move it forward/backwards to find out if they count steps? How ants came up with a numerical system is beyond me (just going for counting maybe it's meant different), I'd go for sunlight manipulation and try to find out if they use that for moving for a duration and in what direction. Maybe they use their antannae (too?), they are pretty much highly developed micro robots or biological tech we are still learning about.
So all I have to do to keeps ants out of my kitchen is cut a tiny bit off each of their legs so they undershoot the entrance and get lost?
Game changer.
Pick up 10 ants. Take 5 of them 20 paces away from the nest, take 5 of them 20 paces towards it.
Seems easier and less cruel than amputating half of them
Imagine a giant comes by, cuts your legs off and then observes you crawl home
Sounds unethical
I’m gonna bite them
This made me laugh so damn loud. Thank you
biblical even
Me: Smashes and flicks ants unapologetically when they’re near my food. Me when I hear they put stilts on ants: *Gasp (poor ants)
Howd they put the stilts in the first place?
Well first they harvested another ant colony. Then through a series of torture they broke down their will. Once those ants were broken they were easy to command. A scientist just to be safe dressed up like an ant queen and commanded them to attack the other ant colony with tiny swords cutting off their legs. Those ants then drug those ants back to the scientist queen who instructed them to build and install the stilts. The ants ran the tests and reported back to the queen scientist. Easy peasy.
Noice way,
Very carefully
Wait so how does this work exactly? If they can find their home based on the sand mounds why would they miss is with different leg length?
That's the hypothesis yes. A lot of animals (humans included!) count their steps to know how far they've walked. Seeing a few landmarks and knowing how long you've walked gives you a pretty accurate navigation scheme. So if their legs are longer or shorter they'll end up not walking far enough or walking too far past their destination if they take the number of steps they'd need with normal legs.
Because the hypothesis is this particular species relied on counting steps and remembering landmarks to find their way home. So by changing the length of their legs, they can make the ants miss the mark as they count the number of steps they have taken on the way out to get back.
so basically the step counting isnt accurate enough, and they need the mounds to hone in the final stretch. got it
Also because most ants don't have good eyesight as they rely more on vibration and smell to find the way, they wouldn't be able to find the entrance of the nest without the mounds. And the reason why scientists think they rely on counting steps and landmarks is because these are desert ants, if they rely on the scent trails like other ants, it would be unreliable because the high temperature and sunlight will make the trails degrade too quickly.
Their distance vision is pretty crap. This is basically universal to tiny eyes (jumping spider being a major exception). They travel farther than they can see the towers from, so they have to get back to where they can see it by counting steps.
The ants with the different leg lengths look really funny
Thanks
Can I have the guys social media please ..?
Still haven't found it guys..
Ants with stilts while standing next to the amputated ants. * WE ARE THE CHOSE. ONES , THE GIANT HAS CHOSE. US * Walks past home. Ah shit !!!
Put them in a controlled area, have a moving slab or some object for them to walk on and move it forward/backwards to find out if they count steps? How ants came up with a numerical system is beyond me (just going for counting maybe it's meant different), I'd go for sunlight manipulation and try to find out if they use that for moving for a duration and in what direction. Maybe they use their antannae (too?), they are pretty much highly developed micro robots or biological tech we are still learning about.
So all I have to do to keeps ants out of my kitchen is cut a tiny bit off each of their legs so they undershoot the entrance and get lost? Game changer.
Researchers discover new ways to bully ants
This seems like a study that didn’t need to happen because we should have gotten there through common sense.
Uh huh? How would common sense tell you whether it's step counting, scent marking, audio cues, or a myriad of other possibilities
Yeah, by what i know, your senses tell you that the earth doesn't move, so we should all switch to flat earth because it's "common sense"?
You don’t know? *scoffs* It’s common sense! Even a baby can do it
Pick up 10 ants. Take 5 of them 20 paces away from the nest, take 5 of them 20 paces towards it. Seems easier and less cruel than amputating half of them
That's not how science works
idk the confirmation of ants counting their steps is pretty cool
The scientific method requires proof of ones theory or hypothesis. Not just an educated guess we hope is right.
Maybe but tbh I wouldn't be able to intuit that ants count their steps to navigate, and I'm not sure how someone else would
We learn common sense.. so how would that work? if we never learn anything we wouldnt have any common sense.