Sunday, February 15, 2009

Ants, ants, ants...



Growing up here in the South, we all learn early on to hate the ant, thanks to the stinging welts left by the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA). If you want to know what moron "imported" these babies, you can blame a South American cargo ship that docked in Alabama in 1918. Chalk up yet another reason to hate Alabama, other than Nick Saban.

However, ants are pretty damn fascinating and a new book looks into their lives to an extent never quite done before. The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson.

The New York Review of Books has a write up on the book that provides some of the interesting tidbits the book has. It's worth a read. Enjoy.

Hattip: Benen and Hilzoy

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