3 ms·

I think this is right. In my boredom, I have studied ants and my observation was that they seem to send a small number of ants in multiple directions, carving

I think this is right. In my boredom, I have studied ants and my observation was that they seem to send a small number of ants in multiple directions, carving a room up into sections. If an ant finds something of value, they change their pheromone to something that attracts the other ants. With time, they all eventually lock onto that pheromone trail, especially if it involves food. On a side note, they especially like vodka and I suspect they are disallowed from drinking it, as the bigger ants come along and chop off their heads. I was taken aback and never gave them alcohol again. Anyway, it seems this behavior is how they manage to find food and then transport it back to their nest. If you get this pheromone on your hands, the ants will swarm you and run around in different directions very chaotically. It seems to be a chemical based form of group think. Perhaps their intelligence should be measured as a group.

MPSimmons 6y ago
You might be interested in this conference talk from a few years ago: https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa16/conference-program/presentation/adams https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa16/conference-program/...
alfiedotwtf 6y ago
Sounds like they're just doing a greedy hill climb. Nothing special i.e ants have special escape finding powers etc.
bobbylarrybobby 6y ago
You might find this interesting as well: https://fantasticfacts.net/2770/#:~:text=Bees%20that%20get%20drunk%20from%20the%20nectar%20are,in%20some%20flowers%20ferments%20and%20turns%20into%20alcohol https://fantasticfacts.net/2770/#:~:text=Bees%20that%20get%2... “In Australia when it gets very hot, the nectar in some flowers ferments and turns into alcohol. Bees that get drunk from the nectar are not allowed back in their hive—guard bees keep them out to prevent them from making the nectar into alcohol honey.”

MPSimmons 6y ago

You might be interested in this conference talk from a few years ago: https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa16/conference-program/presentation/adams https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa16/conference-program/...

alfiedotwtf 6y ago

Sounds like they're just doing a greedy hill climb. Nothing special i.e ants have special escape finding powers etc.

bobbylarrybobby 6y ago

You might find this interesting as well: https://fantasticfacts.net/2770/#:~:text=Bees%20that%20get%20drunk%20from%20the%20nectar%20are,in%20some%20flowers%20ferments%20and%20turns%20into%20alcohol https://fantasticfacts.net/2770/#:~:text=Bees%20that%20get%2... “In Australia when it gets very hot, the nectar in some flowers ferments and turns into alcohol. Bees that get drunk from the nectar are not allowed back in their hive—guard bees keep them out to prevent them from making the nectar into alcohol honey.”