Comments on: Inside a Giant Ant Colony

By: PointSpecial

PointSpecial — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:07:00 +0000

Yeah, where’s the disclaimer… No ants were harmed in the filming of this documentary?!

Just kidding!

By: Melissa Duarte

Melissa Duarte — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:39:00 +0000

I agree–sad the ants had to be killed in order to study them. I never knew that. I watch those shows all the time with great enjoyment. Makes me want to reconsider watching.

By: BassMan

BassMan — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Think of it as an ant Pompei.

Actually, destroying it to study it is a common necessity in biology.
Darwin did it in the Galapagos. Audubon did it to create all those beutiful illustrations that people still pay hundreds of dollars for reprints of.

By: Chris Higgins

Chris Higgins — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:12:00 +0000

@Jake – oops. Fixed!

By: EV

EV — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:49:00 +0000

I agree about the contrast in destroying it to study it, however that was amazing. And AFAIK there is no shortage of ants on the planet (guessing this wouldn’t have been done were it some type of endangered ant species).

I’ve always been fascinated by them, and certainly now have an even greater appreciation.

By: Jake Le Master

Jake Le Master — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:43:00 +0000

…in which scientists pour 10 tons of concrete*

By: KB

KB — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:55:00 +0000

Seems kind of strange that in order to understand this intricate structure of a society of creatures, the scientists go about destroying it.

I’m no environmentalist, but there’s got to be a better way to study the giant ant nest than filling it with concrete…