THIS is an incredible timelapse showing a swarm of ants outsmarting humans by solving an unbelievable puzzle.
The bizarre experiment was used to explore how both humans and ants navigate a complex maze while working individually or in groups.
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Researched led by Ofer Feinerman at the Weizmann Institute of Science wanted to find the comparison between the two species, leading to the maze based on the “piano movers puzzle”.
This is a problem from motion planning and robotics.
Instead of a piano, however, participants are captured maneuvering a T-shaped object through a space divided into three chambers.
These are connected by narrow slits.
Humans tackled the task by themselves or in groups of up to 26 people, meanwhile the ants worked in groups ranging from one to 80.
The ants in the experiment are Paratrechina longicornis, also known as “crazy ants” due to their erratic movements.
Human participants were told to avoid any verbal or gestural communication as this mirrors the ants’ natural constrains.
They could also only handle the object using specific designated handles equipped with force meters.
Experts found that when humans worked alone, they outperformed ants by a wide margin.
They were also said to have used strategic planing to complete the task efficiently.
But in group settings, ant colonies showed incredible coordination and problem-solving abilities.
The small but mighty insects showed a unified force, using collective memory to process their mistakes and maintain consistent progress to fit the T through.
Humans, meanwhile, struggled to improve their performance after making mistakes with their communication restricted.
Instead of attempting to work as a group, human participants showed to have “greedy” strategies, with a focus on short-term solutions.
Experts therefore credited this discrepancy to the ants’ social structure as, in a colony, they operate as a “super-organism”.
The researchers hope their incredibly insights will be able to inform future studies on group dynamics – in nature and human societies.
Through the exploration of collective behaviour, and strengths and weaknesses within this, the investigation aims to shed light on how cooperation evolved and could be optimised.
Paratrechina longicornis ants
THE longhorn crazy ant, called the Paratrechina longicornis, or the black crazy ant, is a small ant species.
It’s called “crazy” because of its random, rapid movements.
A key distinguishing feature is its extraordinarily long antennae and legs compared to its 2.3-3mm body length.
The antennae are slender, 12-segmented, with no club.
Its head and body appear smooth and shiny.
These ants are highly adaptable and are found worldwide, often infesting homes and outdoor areas in large numbers.
They are opportunistic foragers, travelling long distances from their nests, making them difficult to control.
Their diet is varied, including live and dead insects, honeydew, fruits, seeds, household foods, and even large prey like lizards.
They are particularly drawn to sweet foods.
They obtain honeydew by tending to plant lice, mealybugs, and scales.
