The proxy war in Ukraine is heading to a denouement with the US and Russia dividing the spoils while the European powers stand bewildered by events they have been wilfully blind to, says KEVIN OVENDEN
Ants have been talking for a long time
Although the study of ants can be interpreted to suit any political or philosophical argument it can fuel organisational imagination, write Rox Middleton, Liam Shaw and Miriam Gauntlett
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COMPLEX multicomponent societies rely principally on communication. Researchers suggest that evidence of 100 million years of communication gives us a deeper insight into the evolution of ant sociality.
Emergent properties of groups occur when many things interact to produce effects that are not seen in the case of the isolated individual element.
From simple things like waves and crystals, to complex ones like swarms and consciousness, these effects are ubiquitous.
More from this author
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Fraud in Alzheimer’s research raises difficult questions about the current state of science, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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The new US administration’s policy decisions are already having seismic effects worldwide, argue ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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Natural hydrogen gas could be a replacement for fossil fuels, but its extraction could see developing nations face familiar patterns of land loss and resource theft, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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Despite miraculous trial results showing new treatment could halt transmission, corporate greed and patent laws condemn millions to preventable infection and death, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT examine how new genetic research reveals the rapid pace of human evolution in response to agricultural development, offering insights Marx would have found fascinating
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ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT explore how metal nodules producing oxygen on the ocean floor complicate the search for extraterrestrial life and our understanding of Earth's early atmosphere
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New research reveals how a billion-year-old antiviral defence links humans to deep-sea microbes, showcasing the remarkable conservation of life’s core machinery, explain ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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The news that a tiny fern on a Pacific island has the largest genome ever recorded demonstrates that bigger isn’t always better, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT