- New research on ants has shown a first in insects: the ability to shrink and then regrow their brains in a big way. It relates to how these particular ants, called Harpegnathos saltator, or the Indian jumping ant, reproduce. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.0141 6 comments science
- Indian jumping ants that become reproductive workers (gamergates) exhibit a reduction in brain size and other phenotypic changes, compared to foragers, that are reversible. This reversibility of brain size contrasts with results in honeybees and fruit flies, but is similar to long-lived vertebrates. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2021.0141 5 comments science
Linking pages
- To become queen, these ants fight — then shrink their brains https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/become-queen-these-ants-fight-then-shrink-their-brains-n1264053 8 comments
- A Simple Behavioral Model Predicts the Emergence of Complex Animal Hierarchies | The American Naturalist: Vol 187, No 6 http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/686259 4 comments
- These Ants Shrink Their Brains for a Chance to Become Queen - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/science/ants-brains-queen.html 2 comments
- These ants can shrink and regrow their brains https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/indian-jumping-ants-shrink-and-regrow-brains 0 comments
- Specialized terminology reduces the number of citations of scientific papers | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.2581 0 comments
- Indian jumping ants have ability to shrink brain and re-grow it — study | Insects | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/14/indian-jumping-ants-have-ability-to-shrink-brain-and-re-grow-it-study 0 comments