“Ants vs. Humans: Unraveling the Collective Intelligence of Nature’s Tiny Architects”

(This article is part of the Science for All newsletter that simplifies science and makes it enjoyable! Subscribe today!)

The diminutive size of ants does not correlate with their significance among insects and indeed in the broader animal kingdom. Over time, they have established colonies across nearly all major landmasses on Earth, and their collective biomass is projected to surpass that of birds and mammals put together. They are eusocial creatures: their colonies exhibit a high level of cooperation and specialization in tasks.

A research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on December 23 aimed to add another achievement to their list. In this study, Israeli scientists investigated how two species — longhorn crazy ants and humans — tackled challenges by collaborating.

Just as handling a heavier item is simpler with a larger number of individuals, the researchers discovered that numerous ants could collaboratively make more complex decisions by distributing different aspects of each decision among various ants.

In one experiment, the scientists tasked the ants with moving a T-shaped object through a series of ant-sized barriers. This posed a significant challenge for the ants since they cannot verbally communicate with one another about how to maneuver the object through a particular entry using solely their pheromone-based signals.

In a corresponding setup, a group of humans was assigned to navigate a similar obstacle course while handling a similarly awkwardly shaped object.

To equalize the conditions, the humans were required to wear sunglasses and masks, rendering them unable to speak or gesture towards each other.

The researchers observed that ant groups excelled beyond their human counterparts. While individual ants faced difficulties, the groups were capable of coordinating their efforts in ways that surpassed individual capabilities — a demonstration of emergent performance.

Conversely, the humans were unable to communicate and strategize their approach, often not improving individual performances. In some instances, human groups performed even worse than solitary individuals.

The scientists noted that without communication, individuals tended to act hurriedly, assuming what their teammates might do. This behavior, informally referred to as groupthink, led participants to pursue incorrect solutions, such as pulling the T-shaped item directly towards openings in the wall.

In contrast, ants relied on distributed coordination, allowing them to adapt and align their actions according to the movements of other ants, ultimately reaching the ‘correct’ solution.

The study underscored the significance of emergent behavior in joint problem-solving.

“Similar instances where grouping leads to newly developed cognitive skills are uncommon,” the researchers mentioned in their paper. “One example originates from fish that can broaden their sensing capacity by forming groups, enabling the school to react to environmental changes that occur over extensive distances. Another instance comes from fish that adjust their responsiveness to danger by altering the spatial arrangement of the group.”

It remains to be investigated how humans who do not typically communicate verbally would perform.

From the Science pages

Flora and fauna