PODCAST: Sensing teamwork
Scientists pinpoint how chemicals drive social behavior in ants
Abigail Fagan • May 8, 2017
Ants have an explosion of genes allowing them to sense chemicals and communicate with each other. [Image courtesy of Daniel Kronauer]
Ants are incredibly social animals. Thousands of ants scuttle around the colony, working together to accomplish all kinds of complicated tasks. Scientists have investigated the evolution of social behavior, revealing where and how sociability is built into an ant’s DNA. In this podcast, I speak with biologist Daniel Kronauer at Rockefeller University and James Traniello at Boston University to explore why ants are also social butterflies.
Produced by Abigail Fagan
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About the Author
Abigail Fagan
Abigail Fagan graduated from the University of Rochester with a major in brain and cognitive science and a minor in English literature. After graduating, she worked for the publishing company Macmillan Learning, helping to develop their science textbooks. She’s also worked as a freelance writer for the World Science Festival and Weill Cornell Medicine. In her spare time, she loves reading, playing board games, and consuming Nutella.
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