Study: Ants process information 'more efficiently than Google'
Thinkstock
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that worker ants are just as industrious as Aesop's Fables would have you believe.
Researchers in China and Germany, using behavioral mathematics, say that ants leave behind a complex trail of pheromones to help other ants locate food near their colonies.
"While single ants can appear chaotic and random-like, they very quickly become an ordered line of ants crossing the woodland floor in the search for food," Jurgen Kurths, co-author of the study, told The Independent. "That transition between chaos and order is an important mechanism, and I'd go so far as to say that the learning strategy involved in that, is more accurate and complex than a Google search."
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
