Here is another excerpt showing some of their findings:
The ISS experiment was done with the pavement ant. The results showed that this species searches by spreading quickly to the boundary of the area they are exploring. This search algorithm may be why pavement ants often end up in conflict with neighboring colonies along sidewalks. “In the extreme condition of microgravity in space, the pavement ants did the same thing they did on Earth, but not as well,” says Gordon.
However, microgravity gave the ants another, unexpected opportunity to shine: They showed a remarkable ability to walk on the surface of their enclosure, and a capacity to regain contact with the surface after they lost hold, tumbling around or skidding rapidly in a Michael Jackson-type move, Gordon says.
But not all ants search the way pavement ants do. “An earlier experiment showed that another species, Argentine ants, do not move toward boundaries,” says Gordon. “Instead, they search thoroughly all over the new area. Comparing the search behavior of different species can show us how evolution has shaped collective behavior to fit extreme conditions.”
Ants sure are a tenacious and determined creature with strong work ethics (although that may be arbitrary to their incredible ability to adapt to different environments 😉 These pavement ants really showed an incredible ability to move about fairly close to normal in the experiment. I imagine they would be able to adapt to any environment given a long enough time duration.
thanks for a great writeup by
