Ants. Ants! ANTS!! Ants rule everything around me.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ants. Ants! ANTS!! Ants rule everything around me.

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

Goons Are Great posted:

Quote him: "That's it, I give up. I am now convinced there is no biological realm ants cannot live in. Only a matter of time until we find them in Antarctica, earth's orbit and the center of a black hole with some hosed up gravitational specialization."

There's some Nobel prize nominations to win with this.

Have my favourite survivalist ant classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kg4vVYKc90

# ¿ Jul 15, 2020 20:18

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 00:28

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

Ant story: One year there was mouse building a nest in my mother's garden. Then it moved out and the next year there was a wasp nest in that hole. The year after that ants moved in.

Ant question:
The last few days I got a small of small winged ants in my room and getting attracted to my monitor.
They certainly look like ants, they are to small to be queens and they got wings. So presumably they are drones. But what are they doing here?
Are they looking for a place to die after mating, or did they get lost on the way there?
I also saw a fat queen dragging herself over the footpath outside presumably looking for a nesting spot.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2020 13:33

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

That reminds me, how do ants feel about eating carrion?
If there is a dead bird or dog or something rotting near their nest, do they go for the meat once it is exposed? Do they go eat the maggots?

# ¿ Jul 24, 2020 23:38

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

https://askkrenko.tumblr.com/post/626831154950144000/the-original-post-gets-lots-of-attention-which-is

# ¿ Aug 19, 2020 22:57

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

Kanine posted:

im confused about something relating to ants and evolution

(correct me if im wrong here but) if natural selection is basically: animal gets born with random new trait -> trait is either advantageous/harmful/neutral -> if trait is harmful animal most likely dies before it can reproduce and pass on the genes, or if the trait is advantageous/neutral the animal has a higher likelihood of surviving and then passing said trait on

how do eusocial animals evolve into various specialized castes, etc?

if the queen has a single genetic sequence, how did she evolve to give birth to a bunch of different caste variations that themselves dont ever breed and pass on their genes?

Ants themselves (or rather the larger order) do genetics slightly differently to most other animals. Due to the different ways the genes combine you have more genetically in common with your sisters then with your children, which encourages the hymenoptera to be eusocial.
With termites and naked mole rats you have special patterns of inbreeding leading to similar genetic outcomes.

Also, basic ant are queen, worker, drone. Effectively 3 sexes and in some situations a worker can transform into a queen. More complex stuff came later.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2020 16:16

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

Hugs and greetings from the aliexpress thread:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000076135871.html

# ¿ Apr 24, 2021 09:33

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 00:28

VictualSquid: Feb 29, 2012; Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.

Raenir Salazar posted:

One day though we shall genetically engineer ants to make honey like bees and it will be glorious.

Yes I know honeypot ants exist but I want ants that make honeycomb like honey bees!

Actually why stop there, some ants can work wood, maybe we could genetically engineer "nanomachine" like ants who can build structures for us?

We can't even safely interbreed different species of honeybees without accidentally creating murder bees that lust for human blood.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2022 20:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ants. Ants! ANTS!! Ants rule everything around me.