GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
As some of you might recall, I am an ant farmer. But did you know that today is the 50th anniversary of the ant farm? Fifty years ago today, Milton Levine began selling the first of more than 20 million of his Uncle Milton's Ant Farms (pictured), which is still reasonably priced at $12-20 each. As a result, more than one billion ants have found homes with ant farm customers.
Thanks, Mike!
Also, while I am writing about ants, there is an amazing story about aquatic ants below the fold.
North Queensland scientists have discovered a new type of ant, believed to be the only species that can live, swim and navigate under water. The ants nest in submerged mangroves and survive by hiding in air pockets and then swimming to the surface.
Researcher Dr Simon Robson says he stumbled upon the ants while researching another project. He writes;
I was actually working with a film crew working on insects in the mangroves and they wanted to film one of these ants and I said, 'Well, lets put it on a rock in a puddle of water and that'll stop it going away and then you'll be able to film it,' and the ant promptly just leapt off the edge of the rock and swam across the water and disappeared. We were sort of dumbfounded.
Comments
The swimming ants! So cool. Just wait for the sci-fi channel to get hold of this and make a movie with gigantic mutant swimming ants terrorizing a small fisherman town with a corrupt mayor!
And I dig the new blue fluorescent Ant-farms. I used to have an original farm some years ago, but I really want the blue one (with light-source) right now!
Posted by: coturnix | March 13, 2006 10:31 AM
That's no big deal. My aunt can swim, too.
Posted by: Carel | March 13, 2006 1:26 PM
It takes a special person to want to raise ants. Come to think of it, I was just thinking about looking for a new hobby...
Posted by: Joseph j7uy5 | March 13, 2006 4:31 PM
Cool, now somebody can invent the "ant aquarium".
Posted by: Mike S | March 14, 2006 3:09 AM
How is the ant farming going? Did you order the special ants or raid central PArk?
Posted by: biosparite | March 15, 2006 3:38 PM
the ant farming is going great! after i got the wee beasties in the mail (the first group were mysteriously lost!!), i dumped them in to the ant farm and woah, were they mad!! i only sustained two bites and one escape, though.
anyway, i wish i had thought ahead about this project and also gotten my hands on a digital camera. i want to post "progress report" pictures here showing how their tunnels progress over time, but alas! that'll be the next ant farm.
Posted by: GrrlScientist | March 15, 2006 4:41 PM
needdddddddddddddddddddddd moreeeeee informationnnnnnnn
Posted by: angelica | April 15, 2007 4:06 PM