Researchers find 3,600-mile ant supercolony

[Random Variable]

:Q:Q:Q

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A supercolony of ants has been discovered stretching thousands of miles from the Italian Riviera along the coastline to northwest Spain.

It's the largest cooperative unit ever recorded, according to Swiss, French and Danish scientists, whose findings appear in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The 3,600-mile colony consists of billions of Argentine ants living in millions of nests that cooperate with one another.

Normally, ants from different nests fight. But the researchers concluded that ants in the supercolony were all close enough genetically to recognize one another, despite being from different nests with different queens.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/04/15/super.antcolonies.ap/index.html

 

[Spooner]

kind of like if the Wayans' and the Baldwins' combined forces

 

[Bluga]

damn.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie.

 

[dirtboy]

Hard core!

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

<< kind of like if the Wayans' and the Baldwins' combined forces >>


That is quite funny dude.

Attack of the Baldwayans.

 

[911paramedic]

Ant Facts:

With their combined weight greater than the combined weight of all humans, ants are the most numerous type of animal.

Strong in relation to their size, ants can carry 10 to 20 times their body weight. They work in teams to move extremely heavy things.

Ant brains are largest amongst insects. Mushroom shaped brain appendages have function similar to the gray-matter of human brains.

It has been estimated that an ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer.


Bwahahaha

 

[zzzz]

<< It has been estimated that an ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. >>


poor ants

 

[VTBigBear]

"kind of like if the Wayans' and the Baldwins' combined forces "

ROTFL

that was great.... hehehe...

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

<<

<< It has been estimated that an ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. >>


poor ants >>



Exactly what i was thinking

 

[HappyPuppy]

Sounds kinda like some of the families living in the Appalachians.

 

[toant103]

that's what i call networking

 

[RU482]

<<

<<

<< It has been estimated that an ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. >>


poor ants >>



Exactly what i was thinking >>



Hmm, wonder if they could process a 5.25 floppy. I'm dying to play some old school monochrome Oregon Trail

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Thats huge.....they should pour some gasoline along a stretch of it and light it on fire

 

[erikiksaz]

Pictures damnit pictures! How can they report on a 3,600 mile supercolony without pictures?!

 

[notfred]

And the ants go marching 2x2 hurrah, hurrah....

 

[silverpig]

Next on FOX: When ants attack II!

 

[rh71]

<< Hmm, wonder if they could process a 5.25 floppy. I'm dying to play some old school monochrome Oregon Trail >>



That game RULED.

I still don't get how ants can carry 10-20x their body weight with those hair-thin arms/legs connected to their bodies. How the hell...

 

[Sir Fredrick]

burrrrrnnnnnnnnnn them!!!!!!!!

wtf? time for me to go to bed.

 

[Miramonti]

Thats really incredible. I wonder if they know they are going in a circle?

3,600 miles later...."Hey dude, I know you!!!"

Maybe they can reroute the Tour de France to squish them all.

 

[yakko]

Sh!t they found my ant farm.