4 ms·

A single human will die permanently, alone, miserable, and unproductive. The comparison is apt.

• int_19h 3y ago
  A single human can survive on their own; there are many historical examples of that. A detached body part, on the other hand, cannot; but it also cannot feel miserable etc. A single ant is more like a body part of the colony in that sense.
  • hypertele-Xii 3y ago
    If by "survive" you mean "age and die leaving nothing behind", then sure. But the same is true for an ant.
    • int_19h 3y ago
      No, it is not true for an ant. A solitary worker ant will not die from old age. Many species will literally starve to death within a few days because they cannot properly digest their food without trophallaxis.
      • hypertele-Xii 3y ago
        You're right, it seems ants need each other to digest food, though scientists don't yet know why exactly. From the New Yorker [1]: > The researchers aren’t yet sure exactly what causes the digestive slowdown. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe the fluid that ants exchange when they share food stimulates digestion. Maybe they die still looking for a relative to break bread with. [1] https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/lonely-ant https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/lonely-a...