WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Will Ants Rescue Wounded Comrades?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbam here with another classic episode from

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<v Speaker 1>the archives. This one is about an interesting corner of

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<v Speaker 1>behavior and psychology, and I don't want to bury the lead,

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<v Speaker 1>so I'm gonna let former Lauren take it away. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bam Here. You've probably seen stories

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<v Speaker 1>about exemplary bravery and battle soldiers and volunteers who risk

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<v Speaker 1>everything to pull injured compatriots out of harm's way so

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<v Speaker 1>they can receive much needed medical attention. But some of

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<v Speaker 1>these heroes will never receive any medals, parades, or commendations

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<v Speaker 1>for their work, not because of injustice, but because their aunts.

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<v Speaker 1>A species called Megaponara analysis are termite hunting ants that

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<v Speaker 1>scientists say not only rescue injured comrades, but also treat

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<v Speaker 1>their wounds. The survival rate among those injured in this

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<v Speaker 1>combat is remarkable. Up to These ants live in colonies

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<v Speaker 1>in sub Saharan Africa that average nearly one thousand members.

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<v Speaker 1>The ants wage war on termites, raiding their nests and

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<v Speaker 1>dragging the dead back behind the lines as a source

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<v Speaker 1>of food. These raids, however, often come at a heavy price.

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<v Speaker 1>The termites bite and crushed the ants, ripping off limbs

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<v Speaker 1>and snapping off heads. Eric Frank, a scientist at the

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<v Speaker 1>University of Lausan in Switzerland, has studied these ants and

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<v Speaker 1>seen them do battle with termites at a research station

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<v Speaker 1>in the Komaay National Park, one of the largest protected

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<v Speaker 1>areas in West Africa in northern Cote Deuvois. He would

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<v Speaker 1>watch the ants drag the injured back to their nest.

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<v Speaker 1>But because the ants make their homes underground, it was

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<v Speaker 1>difficult to divine exactly what happened next. So Frank and

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<v Speaker 1>his team set out to discover what was happening inside

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<v Speaker 1>the nest. First, they captured entire ant colonies and set

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<v Speaker 1>them up in artificial nests. They then hooked up infrared

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<v Speaker 1>cameras to keep tabs on the insects. The scientists also

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<v Speaker 1>captured termites and then allowed the ants to stage a raid.

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<v Speaker 1>Many ants were gravely injured during the melee. Many lost limbs.

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<v Speaker 1>Their able bodied comrades responded by staging a battlefield triage,

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<v Speaker 1>separating the gravely wounded from the only slightly wounded. The

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<v Speaker 1>seriously injured those who lost at least five limbs often

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<v Speaker 1>died on the battlefield, because, as the researchers noted, they

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<v Speaker 1>didn't seem to want to be helped, that bend and

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<v Speaker 1>distort their bodies, making it difficult for their sisters in

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<v Speaker 1>arms to carry them to safety. Those whose wounds were

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<v Speaker 1>less serious, however, allowed themselves to be cared for. Once

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<v Speaker 1>back at the nest, the healthy ants set up an

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<v Speaker 1>aid station where they tended to the wounded, licking their injuries.

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<v Speaker 1>Ants who did not receive this treatment had an eight

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<v Speaker 1>percent chance of dying within twenty four hours after the battle.

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<v Speaker 1>Those who were treated had a survival rate of up

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<v Speaker 1>to nine and lived to fight another day, to the

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<v Speaker 1>benefit of the whole community. Frankness Team theorized that the

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<v Speaker 1>licking saves lives by preventing the onset of infection. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article Ants Rescue and Treat

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<v Speaker 1>Wounded comrades on House to Forks dot com, written by

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<v Speaker 1>John Partano. Brain Stuff is production of i Heeart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Plain. Before more podcasts to my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.