> "In total darkness, they have constructed an earthen mound, which they have maintained all-year-round by moulding it and keeping the nest entrances open," researchers wrote in a study in 2016, noting these ants are "a far cry from a fully functional colony".
> They were not reproducing, though. Instead, the population was being replenished through sheer accident.
Fascinating.
Imagine visiting the basement at Omelas and this happens.
Poor ants.
> The upper part of the ant trail in Fig. 1; the ants (on the left) were unable to move along the ceiling and thus could not reach the outlet of the ventilation pipe. Photo taken on 18.09.2016 (Wojciech Stephan).
It sort of feels like the ruined a good experiment.
withants•4mo ago