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Paratrechina Longicornis Ants Outperform Humans in Navigating T-Shaped Load Through Maze

Dec 25, 2024, 02:41 PM

A study conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed that ants outperform humans in group problem-solving tasks, particularly in navigating a T-shaped load through a maze. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved comparing the performance of Paratrechina longicornis ants and humans in maneuvering a large object across a maze divided into three chambers connected by narrow slits. Ants, working in groups of about seven and 80, demonstrated superior collective memory and strategic cooperation, often surpassing the performance of human groups. In contrast, human groups, ranging from six to 26 individuals, did not show significant improvement in performance over individuals, and their effectiveness decreased when communication was limited to mimic that of ants. The study suggests that while humans excel in individual cognitive tasks, ants benefit more from group dynamics, highlighting the advantages of collective intelligence in certain scenarios.