Volker Nehring

Evolutionary biology: Ants can hold a grudge. In the grand ant-agonistic world of ant-kind, it turns out these little critters aren't just about marching in lines and carrying picnics away. No, sir! They're also master grudge holders, according to the brainiacs at the University of Freiburg. Imagine this: Ant A meets Ant B from the neighboring ant hill, and Ant B is all like, "I'm gonna spray you with my acid, buddy!" Fast forward a few days, and if Ant A runs into another Ant B from the same hill, it's like, "Oh, it's you again, huh? Prepare for ant-justice!" They puff up their tiny chests, open their mandibles, and give 'em what for! If Ant A had only met nice, peaceful ants from another nest (maybe because they were chill or just had their antennae snipped off), they'd be all, "Oh, hey neighbor, let's just share this breadcrumb, shall we?" So, next time you're squishing an ant and feel a tiny bit guilty, remember, they might just hold that grudge in their next life or something. Or at least, they'll tell their ant buddies about you in a not-so-kind way. uni-freiburg.de/en/evolution…