Ants shape their thoraces to match the tasks they perform

In a study now published in the open access scientific journal eLife, researchers from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia discovered that ants grow the size of their thoracic segments differently according to the specialized tasks they will perform as adults. The researchers discovered that worker ants have a unique thoracic architecture that explains how they are able to hunt and carry preys many times their own weight. Read more