THE ANT NETWORK

Ants are better than Google at processing data. That’s the conclusion of a new mathematics study that looked at how ants transform what begins as a seemingly random search for food into a highly organized network. Researchers used computer modeling to translate well-known ant behavior patterns into equations and algorithms. They discovered that the insects divide themselves into two groups: scouts and gatherers. Scouts that are successful in finding food will take a scrap back to the nest, dropping a trail of pheromones along the way to mark the path. Subsequent waves of ants will follow the trail, which becomes refined as more ants traverse it—leaving even more pheromone markers—until the best, shortest route between food and nest is found. “I’d go so far as to say that the learning strategy involved in that is more accurate and complex than a Google search,” professor Jürgen Kurths of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research tells The Independent (U.K.). Researchers also found that the scouts tend to be older ants, which have greater experience exploring the nest’s surroundings. The younger ants do the grunt work of gathering.