The Daily Ant

Consequences of “zombie-making” and generalist fungal pathogens on carpenter ant microbiota The bacterial microbiome of the ant Camponotus floridanus has been well characterized across body regions and maturation levels. However, potential ef…

Latest zombie ant pub by former grad student Sophia Vermeulen who investigated if fungal infections affect ant gut microbiomes

TLDR: zombie-making Ophio changes ant microbiome during host manipulation while the non-manipulating Beauveria fungus does not!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Link to the paper in question for those interested 🐜🌳
brill.com/view/journal...

“Phylogenetic analysis and trait evolution of ant cocoons”

Thants If you have never heard of the “Look Around You” British science TV show, you have something else to be thankful for this holiday season:

We thought we had posted this to our site before, but somehow never have! A Thanksgiving oversight, for sure... we've now rectified the situation, with a slightly longer clip than the one above:

dailyant.com/2024/11/28/t...

Thants If you have never heard of the “Look Around You” British science TV show, you have something else to be thankful for this holiday season:

We thought we had posted this to our site before, but somehow never have! A Thanksgiving oversight, for sure... we've now rectified the situation, with a slightly longer clip than the one above:

dailyant.com/2024/11/28/t...

YouTube video by JB THANTS

We're thankful for ants. 🐜 #Thanksgiving #ants #thants

youtu.be/9jtU9BbReQk?...

A closer look. The evolution of cocoon presence/absence in ants from my time in the @corriemoreau.bsky.social lab.

My fan phylogeny from my thesis now ready for the club

Ant feeder covered in Pheidole rhea

Ant feeder top view with cute ant heads visible drinking

My hand holding a small liquid ant feeder with a 3D printer in the background

Pretty happy with this feeder. Ants seem to like it too.

Here a small introduction into what we do in our research group on the Evolution of Social Wound Care in Animals. Ever wondered why an ant would amputate the leg of their conspecific or how it knows when to apply antimicrobial secretions? Check out some of our key papers below! 🐜🏥🐜 1/4

Ultraconserved element (UCE) phylogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history and biogeography of Dorymyrmex pyramid ants A newly expanded UCE phylogeny of Dorymyrmex robustly confirms the major lineages and recommends a new scheme of four major species groups. The asymmetrical, amphitropical distribution of Dorymyrmex...

Exciting news to add to the feed—my second dissertation chapter was recently published in Systematic Entomology!
doi.org/10.1111/syen... 🐜

The Spiral of Death We get it. We really do. Sometimes you feel aimless, like your life is simply going around in circles. Today is like yesterday and the day prior, and the forecast for tomorrow indicates an 89% chan…

Are you feeling a little aimless? So are these ants. A brief article inspired by a post by Dr. Jane Waters (@lovetheants.bsky.social). 🐜🐜🐜⭕🐜🐜🐜

dailyant.com/2024/11/26/t...

My Google scholar word cloud!
:)

Remember what you said?

Proverbs 6:6

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.

An exceedingly antlightened decision!

😲😅😌

And Camponotus floridanus carpenter ants too!

dailyant.com/2024/11/25/w...

And before you come at us for endorsing cantibalism: it's the circle of life!

Well, now we're hungry... 🥯🐜🧈

Would you trust an ant surgeon? 🐜🏥🤕 Neat study out this year by @etf1989.bsky.social and colleagues, in @currentbiology.bsky.social. #ants #antputation

dailyant.com/2024/11/25/w...

Holiday Sale 2024 - Alex Wild A selection of photographs discounted up to 70% off regular fine art prices until January 5, 2025. Explore various mounting and framing options in checkout.

The print sale is live, bug people.

Two small ants and their brood.

Anyone able to confirm Colobostruma elliotti for these minuscule #ants I found today south of Sydney, #Australia?

There are barely any photos of this group, they are so small and hard to photograph.

#myrmecology #entomology #antsofaustralia #ant #macro #macrophotography

Myrmica schencki is a pretty cool species that somehow constructs these little tubes as nest entrances. Very typical, I know of no other native species that does this

Top left: Manica bradleyi ant, Bottom left: "Manica parasitica", Right: Tapeworm larva found in "Manica parasitica"

Manica parasitica was thought to be a species of social parasite ant which lives by freeloading off its host ant species - Manica bradleyi.

Turns out those "Manica parasitica" are just Manica bradleyi ants that have been infected with tapeworms
#虫 #昆虫 🧪🐜
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....

In case you wondered why Bluesky is good, I put in my profile that I am interested in people who are interested in ants and then I was followed by @dailyant.bsky.social aka, The Daily Ant.

Like a moth to a flame, er, no... like a fire ant to an alarm pheromone!

Also, frankly, it horrifies us to even consider that there might be people who *aren't* interested in ants. Say it ant so!

We're strictly speaking a website, but would we qualify...? 📰🐜

Welcoming @joanieking.bsky.social @meganbarkdull.bsky.social @docteur-drey.bsky.social and @mischocarvalhus.bsky.social to our growing community of amazing ant scientists here on bsky! 🩵🐜🩷

go.bsky.app/zo95qR

AntWiki ought to be faster than Wikipedia. Consider: Who are humans more related to, sloths or trap-jaw ants?

Even if these aren't ants, we think they are beautiful and creative nonetheless 😍