"Supersoldier" is a bit of a misleading name; they are just called soldiers, and they occur naturally. The article was just referring to the fact that scientists can artificially make larva grow into soldiers by introducing a chemical that mimics ant hormones.
[QUOTE=Raidyr;34074508]"Supersoldier" is a bit of a misleading name; they are just called soldiers, and they occur naturally. The article was just referring to the fact that scientists can artificially make larva grow into soldiers by introducing a chemical that mimics ant hormones.[/QUOTE]
Ah right, so when it says that the ants have gigantic heads and claws they were talking about the type that they're breeding?
Though I suppose this means study will be a lot easier since that means they can basically just get a lot of soldiers out of nowhere. It'd be interesting to see what kind of social experiments can be performed with these.
[QUOTE=Roof;34073047]is this real or fake 97% of people guessed wrong![/QUOTE]
I'm part of the 3 percent.
[QUOTE=Timenova;34074251]I keep a Pheidole pallidula colony, and the soldiers do have huge heads. The funny part is that the soldiers are always the first to run away.
This is my colony.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CcvqL.png[/IMG]
Soldiers are chosen to grow into their caste by the nurses. They did an experiment where two Pheidole colonies were seperated by a mesh, so they could put their antennae and legs through but not harm each other. The nurses begin to pay extra attention to certain larvae and provide them with more and better food, so that they become soldiers to counter the threat to the colony. If there is no perceived threat, then soldiers are rarely produced.
Soldiers aren't often used in combat, since they're quite 'expensive' to produce. They're mostly used as food storage for the rest of the colony.
If only I had the means to try that article's experiment myself.[/QUOTE]
Wow you make it sound really damn interesting. Have you thought about making a thread?
[QUOTE=Swebonny;34075684]Wow you make it sound really damn interesting. Have you thought about making a thread?[/QUOTE]
Seconding this
That is terrifying.
My feet are itching, and it's fucking winter.
when i was in first grade there was this fat kid who always ate all the ants.
[QUOTE=Thlis;34073034][img]http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8628/0601antssp.jpg[/img]
What has science done?![/QUOTE]
Looks like my dick
[QUOTE=Contag;34075693]Seconding this[/QUOTE]
Thirding that
[QUOTE=Jocke;34076489]Looks like my dick[/QUOTE]
uh dude I think you need to see a doctor
"Scientists now add the ability for super intelligence for ants!"
Rise of the Ants.
This is pretty cool and I don't see any reason to be alarmed, it's not like scientists have genetically altered the ants to make them more dangerous. They're just using a synthetic compound to activate existing genes, which isn't the same as the hybridization that produced some of the most godawful bees in the world.
[QUOTE=Swebonny;34075684]Wow you make it sound really damn interesting. Have you thought about making a thread?[/QUOTE]
Thanks!
I have considered it, but I'm nervous of the reaction. It [i]is[/i] an unusual hobby.
[QUOTE=Jocke;34076489]Looks like my dick[/QUOTE]
Ants within the Pheidole genus are about a millimeter long, so you know. :v:
[QUOTE=Timenova;34077551]Thanks!
I have considered it, but I'm nervous of the reaction. It [i]is[/i] an unusual hobby.[/QUOTE]
Do it. Ants are cool and everyone knows it.
[QUOTE=Don Knotts;34074458]I wanna see one of these fuck up an anteater..[/QUOTE]
[img]http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/7/72/AnteatereatingantDR04-EN-R-UE.png[/img]
Call me a pussy, but I have a phobia of ants. They are hairy as fuck, and they look much more freaky than a spider.
Indiana Jones also give me the creeps.
Also why I never fought them in Fallout
Then creepy ass photos, I'm getting the hell out of here.
Black ants are cool, I never had problems with them. They do a great job cleaning bug corpses or garbage.
Red ants on the other hand, are fucking evil creatures from hell.
[URL="http://youtu.be/cPRji6Wh41c"][video=youtube_share;cPRji6Wh41c]http://youtu.be/cPRji6Wh41c[/video][/URL]
While we're all scared of the Spiders, the Ants are just going to just surprise one day and take over society.
[video=youtube;W6d5pcr4X30]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6d5pcr4X30[/video]
I for one, welcome our new insect overlords
[QUOTE=Contag;34076688]uh dude I think you need to see a doctor[/QUOTE]
but I don't like hospitals
[QUOTE=Jocke;34079411]but I don't like hospitals[/QUOTE]
oh well, most morgues are in hospitals so you're going to have to go eventually
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;34072965][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbqs7vfOIok[/media]
First thing that came to mind.[/QUOTE]
That movie is awesome.
[QUOTE=Santz;34078580]Black ants are cool, I never had problems with them. They do a great job cleaning bug corpses or garbage.
Red ants on the other hand, are fucking evil creatures from hell.[/QUOTE]
Fire ants are Satan's spawn
Lets breed non-dying bees
fucking ninjas.
[QUOTE=Cone;34073722]I'd hardly call these "supersoldiers". More "freakishly deformed" than anything.[/QUOTE]
If I had a head twice the size of my body and the capability to carry it around normally, I could go into into the fucking middle east and get more kills than anyone just by biting people's heads off.
[QUOTE=Jetblack357;34079691]If I had a head twice the size of my body and the capability to carry it around normally, I could go into into the fucking middle east and get more kills than anyone just by biting people's heads off.[/QUOTE]
you would be a snipers dream
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.