Well, what can one say? A simply brilliant experiment from conception to execution to conclusion. It would be interesting to see how different ant colonies of the same species treat an identical set up.
To readers unfamiliar with professor Tschinkel's remarkable work, I recommend his book, Ant Architecture, Princeton University Press, 2021., especially Chapter 7. A wonderful read through out.
Michael, thanks for the praise, and thanks for mentioning my Ant Architecture book. Doing experiments on ant architecture is challenging, in case anyone wants a challenge.
love using the forceps to take bits from their mandibles!!! I remember your telling me about the kind of planning that went into your dissertation experiment - that it was set up so that the actual implementation (in the field?) took place over just 3 weeks or so. What struck me is how skilled and efficient the overall research called for so it would work as planned and not crash and burn the years of prep! i may not have this exactly accurate, but the main point of having sound methodology and an awful lot of patience (and maybe luck?) has always stayed with me! thanks so much - and this article, pix, text, etc are just wonderful. I know parts are published here and there, but wish it was in one handy overgrown "pamphlet" with all the images, too.
I suspect that unskilled, cooperative labor is more important in humans than we think. To some extent, humans also work according to "shared rules", resulting in some level (perhaps a lot) of self-organization. It's worth some careful and open-minded thought. We tend to overvalue intelligence and "leadership", and tend to look down on ants as a result. We can learn about self-organization of work from ants.
Great article Academic Dad, Walter! One of my new favorites. I agree regarding humans also work according to “shared rules“ and self-organization. Witnessing it firsthand, the action of co-workers jumping in and working together on a task. Resulting in self-organization and learning from each other even though documents exist that describe the task, such as task orders (TOs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), yet none of the documents are read. Taking it a step further, the resulting actions have pros and cons. Quick organization and action, BUT potentially perpetuating bad behaviors, and only discussing the topic at the surface.
Well, what can one say? A simply brilliant experiment from conception to execution to conclusion. It would be interesting to see how different ant colonies of the same species treat an identical set up.
To readers unfamiliar with professor Tschinkel's remarkable work, I recommend his book, Ant Architecture, Princeton University Press, 2021., especially Chapter 7. A wonderful read through out.
Michael, thanks for the praise, and thanks for mentioning my Ant Architecture book. Doing experiments on ant architecture is challenging, in case anyone wants a challenge.
love using the forceps to take bits from their mandibles!!! I remember your telling me about the kind of planning that went into your dissertation experiment - that it was set up so that the actual implementation (in the field?) took place over just 3 weeks or so. What struck me is how skilled and efficient the overall research called for so it would work as planned and not crash and burn the years of prep! i may not have this exactly accurate, but the main point of having sound methodology and an awful lot of patience (and maybe luck?) has always stayed with me! thanks so much - and this article, pix, text, etc are just wonderful. I know parts are published here and there, but wish it was in one handy overgrown "pamphlet" with all the images, too.
Amazingly complex structures built by "unskilled", cooperative workers. What should humans learn from this?
I suspect that unskilled, cooperative labor is more important in humans than we think. To some extent, humans also work according to "shared rules", resulting in some level (perhaps a lot) of self-organization. It's worth some careful and open-minded thought. We tend to overvalue intelligence and "leadership", and tend to look down on ants as a result. We can learn about self-organization of work from ants.
Great article Academic Dad, Walter! One of my new favorites. I agree regarding humans also work according to “shared rules“ and self-organization. Witnessing it firsthand, the action of co-workers jumping in and working together on a task. Resulting in self-organization and learning from each other even though documents exist that describe the task, such as task orders (TOs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), yet none of the documents are read. Taking it a step further, the resulting actions have pros and cons. Quick organization and action, BUT potentially perpetuating bad behaviors, and only discussing the topic at the surface.