Roberto Keller uses his new blog to explain the acidopore.
Sylvia Cremer et al dissect the evolution of Lasius neglectus supercolonies in PLoS ONE.
Popular reviews of Hoelldobler and Wilson's "The Superorganism" can be found in Slate Magazine and the New York Times. Jon Seal provides a scientist's take in Myrmecological News.
China has executed the man behind an ant-breeding swindle that bankrupted thousands of investors.
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Another year passes. The economy is in the toilet. Violence spreads in the middle east. In these trying times, one question must weigh on the minds of concerned citizens: "What's happening in world of ant science?"
Of course. Here are the myrmecological highlights of 2008:
The Demise of…
Sorry to keep harping on Hoelldobler & Wilson's The Superorganism. But Wilson's section on ant evolution is so bad, so out of touch with the state of the field that I can't help but to rant.
Both Chapter 7 (The Rise of the Ants) and Chapter 8 (Ponerine Ants: The Great Radiation) are…
This week the blogosphere is busy recapping 2007 with lists of top stories in politics, news, and celebrity haircuts. In all the hoopla surrounding year's end, somehow everyone seems to have forgotten the ants, even though the, um, fast-paced world of Myrmecology has made plenty of discoveries…
In the comments, Eric Eaton makes an observation:
Iâm left wondering (just a little) why Alex has such a beef with Dr. Wilson. This is not the first post taking a jab at Wilson, so while Alex makes an excellent point, Iâm also sensing some underlying issues hereâ¦.
Eric is right there's an issue.Â…
The NYT review has a typo (I think) in this sentence: "Hölldobler and Wilsonâs central conceit is that a colony is a single animal raised to a higher level." I suppose the writer meant concept, but...?
Keller's acidore blog -- elegant and informative!
Lasius neglectus -- I met this one on a trip to Europe a few years ago; quite reminiscent of a cold-tolerant Argentine ant, and by the way, apparently can hold up against the latter quite well when they come together. I hope the "invasive garden ant" doesn't come to North America, but it probably will slip in, in somebody's favorite potted geranium smuggled in from Spain or wherever.