Since ancient times, we’ve looked to ants for their industriousness, their large yet high-functioning societies and their stewardship of resources (check out Proverbs 6:6-8 and 30:24-25). A new study shows we have more to learn from ants than we’d thought. They even give us reason for more positive thinking about aging.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland took an in-depth look at the division of labor among carpenter ants. They tagged individuals in six colonies with bar codes—more than 600 worker ants total—and tracked their activity for 41 days. A computerized camera recorded more than 9 million interactions between ants. (That’s a lot of socializing, but anyone who’s had to pay for their teenager’s text messaging can probably relate!)
The researchers made two fascinating discoveries: Ants form distinct groups based on the kind of work they do and they also change jobs as they age. Young ants are nurses. They stay close to the nest with the queen and her brood and make sure developing larvae are fed. Middle-aged ants act as cleaners. They patrol the colony and move detritus to the garbage pile.
Older ants are foragers. They gather food for the colony, which means leaving the safety of the nest and venturing out into the world. Foraging is the most dangerous job in the complex society of ants. It makes sense that the responsibility would be entrusted to the oldest—and presumably wisest and most experienced—ants.
Transitioning to a different, yet no less significant role, as we get older, each individual remaining a valuable contributor to the larger community… Makes you look at aging in a different (and beautiful) light, doesn’t it?
Photo credit: Alessandro Crespi via Nature.com
