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Ants are taking over the world...

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8127000/8127519.stm[/url]

[quote]
[b]A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.

Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.[/b]

The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.

What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.

These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.

In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the "Californian large", extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.

The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society
Entomologists reveal the ant colony's true size

While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.

But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.

[/quote]

Comments

  • Lord RefaLord Refa Creepy, but in a good way
    As long as they dont develop a Hive Mind..
  • EclecticonautEclecticonaut Elite Ranger
    Even if they do, we'll be there to "greet" them.
  • CurZCurZ Resident Hippy
    Nuke 'em from orbit.
  • EclecticonautEclecticonaut Elite Ranger
    [url=http://apina.biz/2531.png]First casualties of war reported![/url]
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    :gpa:-- Dinner!
  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    I fucking hate ants, i'm dealing with a fire ant colony at home, little fuckers. i agree with Curz, i say we take off and nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    I'd have thought you'd want to live in your nice new house a bit longer before nuking it from orbit
  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    I'm only going to use a very small thermonuclear device.... it will just kill the ants.
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    A small thermonuclear device offers so little fun tho!
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    [IMG]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01383/anteater_1383493c.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://images.usatoday.com/tech/_photos/2006/10/17/ants472.jpg[/IMG]
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    All hail the great purple aardvark!
  • MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
    No!
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    Fair enough.......kill the unbeliever! :p
  • E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
    [QUOTE=Entil'Zha;182627]I fucking hate ants, i'm dealing with a fire ant colony at home, little fuckers. i agree with Curz, i say we take off and nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure[/QUOTE]Their nests can apparently reach meters underground making that very ineffective method.


    [QUOTE=ShadowDancer;182633]A small thermonuclear device offers so little fun tho![/QUOTE]Agree... it's those multimegaton devices which give much nicer long glowing fireball.
    [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joupmq4e2eM[/url]
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    [QUOTE=E.T;182708]Their nests can apparently reach meters underground making that very ineffective method.[/QUOTE]

    Not necessarily. A suitably-sized nuclear bomb is going to remove more than a few metres from the ground if it explodes on impact rather than as an airburst.
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    I've always thought there's something oddly beautiful about nuclear explosions....from a suitable distance of course!
  • E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
    [QUOTE=Biggles;182724]Not necessarily. A suitably-sized nuclear bomb is going to remove more than a few metres from the ground if it explodes on impact rather than as an airburst.[/QUOTE]And that's exctly the problem because outside "cratering" effect area there would be very little done because ground protects from heat, shockwave and radiation.
    It would be like taking out strengthened underground missile silos... only direct hits counting so whole area infested by ants would need "nuclear carpet bombing".
  • A2597A2597 Fanboy
    [QUOTE=E.T;182734]...so whole area infested by ants would need "nuclear carpet bombing".[/QUOTE]

    ...so what was the problem again?
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    There is no problem that cant be solved through the suitable application of nuclear ordinance
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