Temnothorax ants infected with Anomotaenia brevis stay younger and healthier
They emit pheromones like an ant queen, calling on broodmates to coddle them
Uninfected ants groom and feed them, and even carry them around
The infected ant is so lazy it doesn t flee when a woodpecker comes for a meal
The woodpecker eats the ant and the parasite lays its eggs in the birds gut, continuing the cycle
The Atlantic
A parasite gives its hosts the appearance of youth, and an unmatched social power in the colony.
Susanne Foitzik / Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Deep in the forests of Germany, nestled neatly into the hollowed-out shells of acorns, live a smattering of ants who have stumbled upon a fountain of youth. They are born workers, but do not do much work. Their days are spent lollygagging about the nest, where their siblings shower them with gifts of food. They seem to elude the ravages of old age, retaining a durably adolescent physique, their outer shells soft and their hue distinctively tawny. Their scent, too, seems to shift, wafting out an alluring perfume that endears them to others. While their sisters, who have nearly identical genomes, perish within months of being born, these death-defying insects live on for years and years and years.
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Social isolation behaviour in ants is similar to that of humans and other social mammals: Study
COVID-19 pandemic has not only isolated humans from their loved ones but also the ants. Yes! A recent study by an Israeli-German research team has revealed that ants react to social isolation similar to humans and other social mammals. The findings of the recent study by researchers at Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz has revealed alterations to the social and hygienic behaviour of ants that had been isolated from their group.Â
Isn t this strange? The research team was particularly surprised by the fact that immune and stress genes were downregulated in the brains of the isolated ants.
Social isolation behaviour in ants is similar to that of humans aninews.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aninews.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Like Humans, Ants Get Stressed Out When They Are Isolated
KEY POINTS
They noticed notable changes in the isolated ants behavior
The ants developed reactions that are similar to socially isolated mammals
Effects of social isolation have been well-studied in mammals but not in insects
It s not just mammals that get affected by social isolation. In a new study, researchers found that even ants get stressed out and have weaker immune response when they get isolated.
Just like some mammals, ants are social creatures that spend most of their time with their colonies. So what might happen if you isolate a social insect? Will they develop adverse responses just like social mammals do? That s what the researchers of a new