Ants: master cooperators

Millions of ants live together in a colony, but they don’t compete, get confused, or become disorganized. They behave in an amazing orderly manner at all times. Some scientists refer to ants as ‘super-organisms’ because they live in such highly organized societies that work together to survive. The way ants live and work together has made them one of the most important creatures on the planet.

Ants, like bees, belong to a class of eusocial insects. Eusocial insects are broken into groups within their community, and each group has a special job to do depending on the needs of the community. There are three basic groups in an ant colony: queens, soldiers, and workers. Queens are the largest ants, and their only job is to reproduce—they lay all of the eggs that will eventually become soldiers and workers. Soldiers are responsible for protecting the colony and finding new places for nests. Worker ants have many jobs within the community, including caring for the eggs and young ants, hunting for food and maintaining the nest.

Some scientists are studying how ants can lead to a better understanding of labor issues, social class, and the use of nature resources in human communities. Ants have had millions of years of practice in working together to survive and grow. For a colony to function successfully, ants have to cooperate, from which people can learn a lot. Researchers hope that gathering information about how ants live together in communities can help people learn to cooperate and compromise with each other.

However, others argue that there are fundamental differences between ants and humans that mean human societies are unlikely ever to attain ant-like levels of collaboration. For example, ants in a colony don’t compete with each other. When they are short of food in the colony, some worker ants automatically become ‘feeder’ ants and feed others with the food in their stomach, regardless of their usual job. When the food supply is replenished, they become worker ants again.

In addition, ants are able to work together without a leader giving them directions. Despite their names, queen ants are not leaders. Instead, ants find out what they need to do from their sense of smell. Research on harvester ants pass each other, they pick up a chemical smell which tells them what the other ant is doing. The number of ants they pass doing a particular job determines what they need to do. It is a form of communication, but unlike human communication it has no content; it is just based on numbers.

While ants undoubtedly have a great deal to teach us about organization and the structure of networks, those searching for a greater understanding of human behaviour and morals may need to look somewhere.

One day when Jack was walking in the park, he saw a woman, who lived a few miles away, sitting on a bench (凳子) with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman.

Jack walked up to the woman and said, “Hello, Sue how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?” “Of course, please sit down,” Sue said. Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue as if waiting to be fed.

“That’s a nice dog, isn’t he?” Jack said pointing at the animal.

“Yes, he is. He’s handsome. He’s a bit of a mixture but that’s not a bad thing. He’s strong and healthy.”

“And hungry,” Jack said.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. He thinks you’ve got some food for him.”

“That’s true.” Sue said.

“But I haven’t.”

They both laughed and then Jack said, “Does your dog bite (咬人)?”

“No,” Sue said. “He’s never bitten anyone. He’s always gentle and friendly.”

Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animals head. Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.

“Hey!” Jack shouted. “ You said your dog didn’t bite.”

Sue replied in surprise, “Yeah, I did. But this is not my dog. My dog’s at home.”

Most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals. However, many of us remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that a furry friend can bring us. 【小题1】

Increasing exercise. Taking a dog for a walk, hike or run is a fun and rewarding way to fit healthy daily exercise into your schedule. Studies have shown that dog owners are far more likely to meet their daily exercise requirements, and exercising every day is great for the animal as well. 【小题2】

Providing companionship. Companionship can help prevent illness and even add years to your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression.【小题3】 Most dog and cat owners talk to their pets, and some even use them to work through their troubles. And nothing beats loneliness like coming home to a wagging tail or purring cat.

【小题4】The companionship of an animal can offer comfort and build self-confidence for people anxious about going out into the world. Because pets tend to live in the moment — they don’t worry about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow — they can help you become more mindful and appreciate the joy of the present.

Adding structure and routine to your day. 【小题5】 Having a consistent routine keeps an animal balanced and calm, and it can work for you, too. No matter your mood — depressed, anxious, or stressed — one pitiful look from your pet and you’ll have to get out of bed to feed and care for them.