An analysis of ant colony behavior could yield better algorithms for network communication, say investigators. Biologists have long suspected that ants base their population-density estimates on the ...

This behavior has inspired algorithms used in computer science and logistics, often called ant colony optimization. These algorithms help solve problems like routing delivery trucks, scheduling ...

For the past three decades Deborah Gordon has devoted herself to studying ant colonies in the Arizona desert. Although her chosen subject – the red harvester ant – isn’t much to look at, when they ...