Latest Anna Dornhaus Stories

By Shelley Littin, University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona researchers have uncovered evidence in ant colonies that suggests that social networks may function differently than previously assumedBe it through the Internet, Facebook, the local grapevine or the spread of disease, interaction networks influence nearly every part of our lives.Scientists previously assumed that interaction networks without central control, known as self-directed networks, have universal properties that make them...

Ants specializing on one job such as snatching food from a picnic are no more efficient than "Jane-of-all-trade" ants, according to new research.The finding casts doubt on the idea that the world-wide success of ants stems from job specialization within the colony. Ants are found on every continent besides Antarctica."The question is, why is job specialization a good thing?" said Anna Dornhaus of The University of Arizona in Tucson. "We thought that the fact that ants...