"Ants are able to diagnose a wound, see if it's infected... and treat it accordingly."
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Call the ant doctor: Amputation gives injured ants a leg up on infections
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I'd go with antputation. I wonder if ant doctors are required to have malpractice antsurance?
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One of the more fascinating articles I've read here. It's fun to watch the ants in my yard going about their business -- pretty amazing creatures altogether -- but I'd no idea they'd evolved such abilities around surgery. Very cool!
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Crossing the streams? Don't be so antsy!
Besides, they are already crossing them – on rafts ;-)
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We are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I'd like to hear it.
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This article is fascinating. It raises two hard questions in my mind: What kind of cognition do ants have that allows such behavior? And how did this behavior develop?
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I am sure they will be really glad for it!
Obligatory Franquin:
(the really bad translation from the original French is purely my fault – excusez-moi!)
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I'd think it's actually the other way around – only in the US would an ordinary bacterial infection cost you an arm and a leg ;-)
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Ant cognition is a weird thing: they'll mindlessly follow chemical trails until they die of exhaustion, yet I've seen ants carrying difficult and awkward sized loads who, coming upon an obstacle, will set the load down, reconnoiter until they find an alternative path, return to their load, pick it up, and take the new route.
I love watching ants at work. It's so much more fun than having to work myself.
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I think I found the whole movie on the internet archive.
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Insects really do show how some tasks we think of as complex must be do-able with a relatively small number of neurons. Although maybe that says more about our intuition regarding how complex a task is, than about how neural systems work.
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Instead of licking wounds, they just have to lick DeSantis' balls.
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Exactly! And, in the amputation (sorry, antputation) video there is clearly an interested spectator, some sort of nurse.
Truly fascinating and amazing
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I'm actually interested in the brief discussion re the various antibiotic secretions from their metapleural glands. I wonder if some research into them will yield some insight to new antibiotic treatments?
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Agony ants, indeed.
I wonder if they also assist uninsured ants.
Is this international? Do Antipodean ants also act accordingly?
I wonder if they also assist uninsured ants.
Is this international? Do Antipodean ants also act accordingly?
Antpulance chaser.
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I suspect that, after that first phase of treatment, the ant will advance to the second phase and sever the afflicted tissue.
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If we are talking DeathSantis, I am pretty sure even the ant surgeons would be cognisant enough to not ever touch any of his tissues, be it his brain or his arse (pretty much interchangeable at this point, anyways).
Even if just ants, they are not that stupid, after all...
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Exactly, Ladder 33 cauterization unit are waiting in the antechamber.
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So, the head?
On a more serious note, amazing article. I've been fascinated by ants since I was a kid, but even today, science just keeps finding more reasons to validate my interest.
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I know nothing about behavioral ecology but I strongly suspect that Erik Frank should have added the words "documented" and "that I know of" and dropped the word "literally" if he cares about his words standing the test of time.
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