Teamwork isn t just a human characteristic: Colonies of army ants will form living scaffolding to protect members from falling.
The insects are blind and have no designated leader but, according to new research, they re able to use simple behavioral rules to develop these safety structures without the need for direct communication.
Once a scaffold was built, worker ants were almost 100 percent protected from falling off steep inclines.
Understanding how they design such complex structures could help engineers development self-healing materials and swarm robotics, researchers said.
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Army ants in Central American rainforests will build scaffolds out of their body to help them traverse steep terrain. The safety net maintains its structure even across virtually vertical slopes
Apr 20, 2021 05:00 AM EDT
An international team of scientists led by biologist Professor Iain Couzin, co-director of the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior at the University of Konstanz and director of the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, and Matthew Lutz, a postdoctoral researcher in Couzin s lab, have discovered a new form of collective behavior in ants.
Their research demonstrates how ants use scaffolds, self-organized architectural constructs, to ensure traffic flow on sloped surfaces. Individual sensing and decision-making lead to scaffold forming, which enables the colony as a whole to respond dynamically to unexpected environmental challenges.
Credit: James Herndon
A new type of collective behaviour in ants has been revealed by an international team of scientists, headed by biologist Professor Iain Couzin, co-director of the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz and director at the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, and Matthew Lutz, a postdoctoral researcher in Couzin s lab. Their research shows how ants use self-organized architectural structures called scaffolds to ensure traffic flow on sloped surfaces. Scaffold formation results from individual sensing and decision-making, yet it allows the colony as a whole to adjust dynamically to unpredictable environmental challenges.
bcox@lewistownsentinel.com
LEWISTOWN More than $419,000 in relief money for hospitality businesses whose bottom lines in 2020 were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is available now in Mifflin County and the Mifflin County Commissioners urged businesses to apply as soon as possible.
The program administered by SEDA-Council of Governments, called the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, or CHIRP, awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to businesses in the hospitality industry such as hotels and restaurants that suffered losses in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Mifflin County Planning Director Mark Colussy spoke during Thursday morning’s regular meeting of the commissioners and reported that while some businesses have applied and been approved, there’s still lots more help available.
TERESA SCHETTLER
IRON MOUNTAIN –The Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce membership have chosen five directors for its 15-member board.
All are elected for a three-year term. They are: Teresa Schettler, public relations/marketing specialist, Dickinson County Healthcare System. Schettler is the board’s vice president, a post she retains, and is committed to the Chamber vision. She also has been a Chamber ambassador since 2014. Matthew Lutz, chief financial officer, First National Bank & Trust. Lutz has been on the Chamber board for four years as well as serving on other local boards of directors and nonprofits and actively participates in Chamber and community events. He has a strong financial background and is on the Accounting Advisory Board for Bay College; treasurer for the Dickinson Area Community Foundation; a Chamber ambassador; and a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, along with other posts. Lutz also was elected board treasurer.