this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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Fun fact: most known ant species' workers are 0.01% genetically different than each other (ie. queen[s]:mate[s] ratio), and therefore are closer to clones than individual consciousnesses, strictly speaking. βπΌπ€
You know that genetic clones are still individuals with independent brains, right?
Like twins don't have to take on the same profession or have the same personality. They're about as mentally different as any other random person.
Then, other than their genetic code, what else is copied between individuals? Is their brain fully encoded in their chromosomes? Does the queen ant go and copy the same brain into all worker ants? Do the worker ants, when pupating, connect to the colonies wifi network and download the current neuronal image for network booting?
Do they share their fingerprints (for example hair placement) too?
Insects are complex and different in how they process information. Ants are smart for insects, but still not fully individuals in the same way we look at mammals or other animals.
https://wildlifeinformer.com/do-ants-have-brains/
The simple answer is thoughts are pheromones. Essentially one ant shares it's individual experiences with the entire colony and the colony all works for the same goals. So yeah they kinda connect to the colony organic wifi by releasing the same chemicals that other animals do but the chemicals are shared.
So one feels rewarded, the rest do and that leads to them working together. This is why if you piss one off, they all attack because that chemical is shared with the colony and all of them become aggressive.
Also a vast majority of insects are born with all the basic functions and skills of an adult. They come out knowing exactly what to do and how. There really is no "learning", the colony learns the individual shares that knowledge.
So every new ant pops out fully functional and basically downloads the rest from the colony to know where found food/water sources are if they are collectors. If they are soldiers they instantly get in line to protect the hive and know the layout.
So every ant, clone or not, is probably set up to only function in a colony.
And I assume the genetics determine the language, so that even related ant nests don't merge but stay distinct?
I'm not as knowledgeable about ant genetics as the other fellow. But I do know ants recognize each other from the same colony through chemical signals.
There are insects that can hijack that, I think rival ants can even trick the ants of another colony to kill their own queen. There are also rival queens that can kill another queen and the rest of colony thinks that's their queen. Essentially stealing and entire colony of ants they did not birth.
So they are heavy into identification through chemical means over anything else. Genetics has not a lot to do with identification.
I'm more of a spider guy. But the insect and arachnid worlds are fascinating to me.
Ooh! I love arachnids! Did you happen to catch that research on their pneumatic mobility system that was used in miniature robot models? π±π... π¬
Recall seeing something on larger robots and limb movement using hydraulic compression but do share a link if you got it!
For sure! Here's a couple from a quick search: 1., 2.
The "language" you speak of is more often expressed via pheromones rather than sound xor gesture, where ants are concerned βsimilar to the majority of the insect kingdom, and beyond.
Here're some more ant facts!
~amidst~ ~silliness~
The argument is that ant colonies are better understood as organisms themselves with the individuals acting more like digits of the single organism.
Which you can argue for, but doesn't stem from them being all almost twins.
I can say Humans are 99.6% genetically identical, and I can say nations are kinda like independent organisms (more sketchy a statement than for ants), but I definitely can't say Humans are 99.6% genetically identical, and thus nations are kinda like independent organisms.
"Ants are almost twins" is not the cause of "Ants are not really autonomous individuals"
Nothing indicated they were upset at all, this comes across as very rude and dismissive.
Fair enough. Perhaps I'd read too many of their comments here in a row and lost perspective a bit. ππΌββοΈ
Are you aware of what identical twins are?
You're mixing being a clone with being the same individual and sharing a mind, which are completely different things.
Nah, the former is scientifically sound, and the latter is SciFi. π
clones exists look at sheep and you
bingo
This is wrong. They get the same DNA father side because male ants are haploid (meaning they have one chromosome of each instead of a pair like diploids) but they get different genes from their mother so they are more closely related than human siblings but no where near your made up number. They are still 25% different
None of y'all used citations so everyone is wrong!
This is not how anything works. I'm giving you free information by repeating stuff I learned at school and university. If you want to be sure, look it up. This is far from hidden knowledge. I couldn't care less if I convince a stranger on the internet.
You get an F! No passing grade! Citation is needed or you will not pass this class young man!
This is not a test and citations aren't needed in most tests?
But citations are needed in papers or articles when stating facts in an argument.
No.
Fertilized eggs are female, unfertilized eggs male. That's why they are haploid. They are not going to mate their mother. Go read a book.
That depends on their species. Isn't it black crazy ants that can have males genetically unrelated to the queen?
I know about bees or wasps who lay eggs of a different subspecies so why not
Oh, you insulted me, now I'm convinced.
You might want to edit the wikipedia page because they are spreading lies. Closed to the truth is this:
So there are some species within one genus where most males will mate within their nest (which doesn't necessarily mean their own mother because not all ants are fully social, I don't know about this genus) and even they have mechanisms to avoid the incest you described.
I'm very sorry for trying to educate you. I'm very sorry if I threw you from peak mount stupid. You do not have to do the bare minimum and read wikipedia articles if you already have enough superficial knowledge to feel superior to people who know stuff. It's enough to insult them to prove them wrong. I apologize for any inconvenience.
So they're boba Fett
Some are boba-sized, even!
It's funny how different hypothetical scenarios already exist in nature.
I'm sorry to inform you that the fact is made up. It's more like 25% in the case of ants. I wrote more in another comment.
But there are greenfly who can reproduce sexually or asexually. In the former case, they have two parents β boring. But females can just have daughters with the same genetics. They don't lie eggs but are live bearing so they get pregnant when they choose to. And there isn't an age limit. In fact they can be pregnant and their daughter is already pregnant before birth, all genetically identical.