Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Terrestrial / Life / Animal / Invertebrate / Ant
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Introduction1
Inside the ant colony (Deborah M. Gordon, TED-Ed)
TED-Ed (YouTube Channel)
Dictionary
ant : any of a family (formicidae) of colonial hymenopterous insects with a complex social organization and various castes performing special duties — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook
Encyclopedia
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. — Wikipedia
Hymenoptera: Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Bug Guide, Iowa State University)
Hymenoptera: Ants, Bees & Wasps (One Zoom)
Hymenoptera (Catalogue of Life)
Hymenoptera (WolframAlpha)
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Inspiration
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Inspiration
Leafcutter Ant Colony (Museum of Science, YouTube 360° Video)
Talks about Ants (TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)
Articles about Ants (Big Think)
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Innovation
Science
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term “insect” was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans. This wider meaning may still be encountered in informal use. — Wikipedia
Entomology (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Myrmecology is a branch of entomology focusing on the scientific study of ants. Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and sought to find solutions to human problems by studying them. Ants continue to be a model of choice for the study of questions on the evolution of social systems because of their complex and varied forms of eusociality (social organization). Their diversity and prominence in ecosystems also has made them important components in the study of biodiversity and conservation. Recently, ant colonies are also studied and modeled for their relevance in machine learning, complex interactive networks, stochasticity of encounter and interaction networks, parallel computing, and other computing fields. — Wikipedia
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Preservation
Library
DDC: 595.796 Ants (Library Thing)
Subject: Ants (Library Thing)
LCC: QL 568.F7 Ants (UPenn Online Books)
Subject: Ants (UPenn Online Books)
LCC: QL 568.F7 Ants (Library of Congress)
Subject: Ants (Library of Congress)
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Participation
Education
MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources
Community
Occupation
Careers in Entomology (Royal Entomological Society)
What is an Entomologist? (Environmental Science.org)
Entomologist (Future Farmers of America)
Organization
International Society of Hymenopterists
Royal Entomological Society
Entomological Society of America
American Entomological Society
News
Journal of Hymenoptera Research (International Society of Hymenopterists)
Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Journal of Insect Science (Entomological Society of America)
Ants (EurekaAlert, American Association for the Advancement of Science)
Ants (bioRxiv: Preprint Server for Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Ants (Science Daily)
Ants (JSTOR)
Ants (Science News)
Ants (Phys.org)
Ants (NPR Archives)
More News…
Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.
- Elastic fantastic: The deadly fluid of pitcher...on September 25, 2026 at 2:00 am
In the world of carnivorous plants, Venus flytraps—with their showy, snapping reflexes—have long hogged the limelight. But plants have many creative bug-capture strategies, from slippery waxes to vibrating lids to bizarrely textured fluids.
- 'Jumping genes' helped ants in their evolutionary...on September 24, 2026 at 3:40 pm
About 66 million years ago, the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs paved the way for a spectacular expansion of new animal species. During this period, ants rose to ecological dominance. Today, they form the largest family of social insects, with more than 15,000 species worldwide.
- Study reveals how biological echo chambers...on September 23, 2026 at 7:20 pm
Tropical army ants are known to form devastating armadas that march through forests eating other insects and small creatures. As they march, they deposit chemical trails of pheromones that others behind them sense and follow. But occasionally one of these ants will walk in a circle, prompting a subset of ants behind them to follow until they all collapse and die.
- Taking the sting out of fire ants with genomicson September 9, 2026 at 4:20 pm
Fire ants have earned their reputation as one of Australia's most damaging invasive pests. From ruined picnics to serious impacts on agriculture, biodiversity and public health, they are notoriously difficult to control.
- Why should we care if there aren't any squished...on September 8, 2026 at 5:40 pm
This summer, you may have wondered why you are seeing so few insects squished on your car's windshield compared with a road trip several years ago.
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Related
Here are links to pages about closely related subjects.
Sphere Land, Ice, Water (Ocean), Air, Life (Cell, Gene)
Ecosystem Forest, Grassland, Desert, Arctic, Aquatic
Tree of Life
Microorganism Virus
Prokaryote Archaea, Bacteria
Eukaryote Protist, Fungi, Algae, Protozoa (Tardigrade)
Plant Flower, Tree
Animal
Invertebrate
Cnidaria Coral, Jellyfish
Cephalopod Cuttlefish, Octopus
Crustacean Lobster, Shrimp
Arachnid Spider, Scorpion
Insect Ant, Bee, Beetle, Butterfly
Vertebrate
Fish Seahorse, Ray, Shark
Amphibian Frog, Salamander
Reptile Turtle, Tortoise, Dinosaur
Bird Penguin, Ostrich, Owl, Crow, Parrot
Mammal Platypus, Bat, Mouse, Rabbit, Goat, Giraffe, Camel, Horse, Elephant, Mammoth
Walrus, Seal, Polar Bear, Bear, Panda, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Dog, Wolf
Cetacean Whale, Dolphin
Primate Monkey, Chimpanzee, Human
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Notes
1. The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.





