Cooperation Versus Independence: Ants and Humans Compete to

[patricjfrenn]

In an intriguing experiment, Professor Ofer Feinerman and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science explored the evolutionary competition between ants and humans, both of which excel at transporting large loads in a highly social manner. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on group decision-making and the advantages and disadvantages of cooperation compared to solo efforts.

To compare these two distinct species, the researchers, led by Tabea Dreyer, recreated the "piano movers puzzle"—a classical problem in robotics that examines how to move an unusually shaped object, such as a piano, through a maze. Rather than using a piano, the participants were tasked with navigating a large T-shaped object across a rectangular maze divided into three chambers connected by two narrow slits.

Two versions of the maze were constructed, designed to suit the sizes of both ants and humans, as well as groups of different sizes. Human participants were easily recruited, motivated by the prospect of competition, while the ants, specifically Paratrechina longicornis, or "crazy ants," were tricked into participating by being led to believe the object was a food item they needed to transport to their nest.

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The ants competed in three different group sizes: one individual ant, a small group of seven, and a large group of about 80. Humans took part in similar configurations: one person, a small group of six to nine people, and a large group of 26.

To ensure the comparison was fair, some human groups were asked to avoid verbal or gestural communication, even wearing surgical masks and sunglasses to prevent non-verbal cues. Human participants were also instructed to hold the load in a manner similar to how ants would carry it, using handles equipped with meters to measure the pulling force exerted by each individual.

The experiment was repeated multiple times for each group, and the researchers carefully analyzed the data, including video footage, tracking data, and simulations based on physics models.

As expected, humans had an advantage in the individual challenge, using their cognitive abilities for strategic planning to easily outperform the ants.