Ants use geometry, say experts [View All]

[Champ]

ANTS use angled signposts, using tiny scent markers, to find their way home or follow the path into the wilderness, according to a study published today.

University of Sheffield scientists looked at the foraging trails laid by Pharoah's ants (Monomorium pharaonis).

Scout ants would set the trail from the nest using pheromone scents as indicators for those coming behind them.

Wherever the trail forked to let the ants explore potential sources of food, one of the angles between the forks was always around 60 degrees, the researchers found in the study published in Nature.

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