Ants signal deadly infection in altruistic self-sacrifice
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Dec-2025 06:11 ET (8-Dec-2025 11:11 GMT/UTC)
Ant colonies operate as tightly coordinated “superorganisms” with individual ants working together, much like the cells of a body, to ensure their collective health. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have now discovered that terminally ill ant brood, like infected cells, release an odor signaling their impending death and the risk they pose. This sophisticated early warning system facilitates rapid detection and removal of pathogenic infections. The study was published in Nature Communications.