Over the River and Through the Woods

Ant scouts look for the quickest route, not just the shortest.

That’s what researchers found in a recent study. They first cleared paths from anthills to food sources, and they made sure the paths weren’t necessarily the shortest route but the quickest to travel. They discovered that scouts were more likely to lead a raiding party along the faster route, even though the distance was greater. This is the first time such complex calculations have been documented in individual ants.

The all-wise Creator clearly had many reasons for commanding us to “go to the ant” (Proverbs 6:6). They remind us that he delights to display his majesty and wisdom in the most unlikely places, even among lowly creatures whose intelligence we would never expect.

This article was taken from Answers magazine, September–October, 2018, pg 33.