Ants in Space In summer 2014 an experiment was designed to study the cooperative searching methods o
Ants in SpaceIn summer 2014 an experiment was designed to study the cooperative searching methods of ants. This method is considered remarkable as there is no leader and as of yet we are not sure how ants communicate how the task of searching a new area will be undertaken. We know that ants can communicate by smelling antennae and by using chemical trails on the ground, but we do not know how they would organise a search.In January 2014 eight colonies of 80 common ants were taken to the International Space Station in 8 clear plastic boxes which were complete with a nest. At a point a barrier was lifted allowing the ants to access a new area, encouraging a search to occur. Similar experiments were also run on earth to allow comparison between the two ant cohorts. In the microgravity found on the ISS the ants’ search was less effective as they moved more slowly. This was thought to be due to the effort of holding on to the sides of the box. When the ants did end up floating they tended to grab another ant and climb back down onto the side of the box. Though only 10% of the ants were thought to be floating at each time it is believed this hampered the ants’ communication skills reducing efficiency of the search. This reduced efficiency meant it took ants longer to find a resource.The aim of the experiment was to study ants’ cooperative methods. This can be applied to robotics to create algorithms for robot searched. A paper from the experiment has now been published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.~SAPhoto: http://1.usa.gov/1yAUgMl by NASAPaper: http://bit.ly/1F3ln4TNASA Experiment description: http://1.usa.gov/1yATSNMVideo of ants in space: http://bit.ly/1bPH0hS by BioEd Online -- source link
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