Jan 222010
The godfather of entomology, E.O. Wilson, has published a fantastic story in the New Yorker Magazine detailing the life and death of an ant colony. My favourite line:
When defending the nest, the elders were among the most suicidally aggressive. They were obedient to a simple truth that separates our two species: humans send their young men to war; ants send their old ladies.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2010/01/25/100125fi_fiction_wilson?currentPage=all#ixzz0dN801Mhe
Thanks to Alex Wild at the Myrmecos Blog for the link!