Ants | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ants/RSS feed for AntsenWed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000This Newly Discovered Spider Builds a Unique Web That Catapults Ants Through the Airhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/Flung prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second, or a little less than ten miles per hour. An insect will land in the spider's main web about a foot above the spring-loaded trapWed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/Ants Can Get Distracted by Cookies, Chips and Other Junk Food. Here’s Why That Could Be a Problem for the Environmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/The insects enjoy snack crumbs, but new research shows that this unnatural food source can divert them from one of their most significant roles: dispersing plant seedsTue, 16 Jun 2026 16:15:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/These Tiny Ants Crawled All Over Larger Ants and Licked Them Clean. Scientists Aren't Sure How This Behavior Benefits Any of Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-tiny-ants-crawled-all-over-larger-ants-and-licked-them-clean-scientists-arent-sure-how-this-behavior-benefits-any-of-them-180988555/After witnessing the interactions in an Arizona desert, a Smithsonian researcher suggests that the little ants picked off tasty treats and that the big ants got thoroughly groomed in hard-to-reach placesThu, 16 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-tiny-ants-crawled-all-over-larger-ants-and-licked-them-clean-scientists-arent-sure-how-this-behavior-benefits-any-of-them-180988555/These Stunningly Detailed 3D Images of Ants Showcase the Remarkable Diversity Across Their Many Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-stunningly-detailed-3d-images-of-ants-showcase-the-remarkable-diversity-across-their-species-180988389/Scientists used a game-changing technique to scan about 2,200 preserved specimens in just one week to create the Antscan databaseMon, 23 Mar 2026 15:48:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-stunningly-detailed-3d-images-of-ants-showcase-the-remarkable-diversity-across-their-species-180988389/Needy Caterpillars Vibrate to Complex Rhythms to Communicate With Antshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/needy-caterpillars-vibrate-to-complex-rhythms-to-communicate-with-ants-180988265/Researchers have found that some butterfly caterpillars mimic the meticulously timed movements of ants to win their favor and protectionThu, 26 Feb 2026 22:07:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/needy-caterpillars-vibrate-to-complex-rhythms-to-communicate-with-ants-180988265/Air Pollution Can Cause Some Ants to Turn on One Another—and Neglect Their Young, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/air-pollution-can-cause-ants-to-turn-on-one-another-and-neglect-their-young-new-research-suggests-180988142/The findings further hint that air pollution, particularly ozone, is contributing to the "insect apocalypse"Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:43:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/air-pollution-can-cause-ants-to-turn-on-one-another-and-neglect-their-young-new-research-suggests-180988142/These Beetles Are Entirely Dependent on Ants for Survival. Here's Why That's Not an Evolutionary Death Sentencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-beetles-are-entirely-dependent-on-ants-for-survival-heres-why-thats-not-an-evolutionary-death-sentence-180988137/Rove beetles cloak themselves in ant pheromones to sneak into the insects’ nests for protection. But in an odd catch-22, that makes them forever reliant on their hostsThu, 05 Feb 2026 16:01:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-beetles-are-entirely-dependent-on-ants-for-survival-heres-why-thats-not-an-evolutionary-death-sentence-180988137/Eight Fascinating Scientific Discoveries From 2025 That Could Lead to New Inventionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/By studying the natural world, scientists find blueprints for innovations that can improve human lives—in the genes of a shark, the fur of a polar bear and the flipper of an extinct reptileTue, 30 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/Some Ants Sacrifice Stronger Exoskeletons for Larger Colonies, Which May Help Them Take Over New Environmentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-ants-sacrifice-stronger-exoskeletons-for-larger-colonies-which-may-help-them-take-over-new-environments-180987924/Species with thinner protective barriers may need fewer resources and tend to have a greater ability to adapt to new habitats, a study suggestsMon, 29 Dec 2025 16:43:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-ants-sacrifice-stronger-exoskeletons-for-larger-colonies-which-may-help-them-take-over-new-environments-180987924/These Parasitic Ant Queens Found a Sneaky Way to Stage a Coup: Trick a Colony Into Killing its Motherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-parasitic-ant-queens-found-a-sneaky-way-to-stage-a-coup-trick-a-colony-into-killing-its-mother-180987707/While ant queen violence is well-known, scientists recently documented the first evidence of parasite-induced matricideThu, 20 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-parasitic-ant-queens-found-a-sneaky-way-to-stage-a-coup-trick-a-colony-into-killing-its-mother-180987707/