Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Did you know that ants cultivate fungi gardens? Or raise aphids as working livestock? Or make vaccines to avoid disease? Or that scientists estimate that there are ten quadrillions of ants in the world, or one million ants for every human alive today? This book on the workers, soldiers, and slaveholders of the insect world reveals all these secrets and more.
Fascinating yet commonplace animals, ants have astonishing similarities to humans. They have developed forms of communication, social organization, and ways of dividing labor. They establish gardens, keep stores, move from one abode to another, wage wars, and turn other ants into slaves, who in turn attempt to break free. They even create defenses against the pathogens that threaten them. After bees, ants are probably the most astoundingly complex of all insects, and they have an astonishingly long history: ants existed at the same time as the dinosaurs. The lengthy tale of their evolution gives a sense of scale to humans' own empire-building and destroying.
Evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik, a world authority on ants, and biophysicist Olaf Fritsche tell us everything we need to know about ants, offering deep insights into their social forms and explaining their evolutionary development. This richly illustrated book also offers insight into scientists and their work. How do researchers study the behavior of animals that are just a few millimeters in size? And what happens when you want to take an anthill you've just excavated in Utah through customs? Readers of this book will never see ants the same way again.
Synopsis
A world-leading ant researcher's magisterial tour of ants' superhuman, six-legged civilization Beneath our feet, a fascinating drama unfolds: Ants are waging war and staging rebellions, growing fungi as crops and raising aphids as livestock, making vaccines and, generally, living lives that--up close--look surprisingly human.
Evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik and biophysicist Olaf Fritsche reveal all in Empire of Ants, inviting readers to live alongside the workers, soldiers, and conquerors of the insect world--and the researchers who study them. (How do we observe the behavior of ants just a few millimeters in size--or monitor activity in a brain as small as the tip of a needle?)
Ants' global dominance (there are 10 quadrillion ants worldwide) and supreme staying power (they have existed since the dinosaurs) give a sense of scale to our own empire- building and destroying. Empire of Ants may leave its human readers asking: Who really runs the world?
Synopsis
This sweeping portrait of the world's uncontested six-legged conquerors will open your eyes to the secret societies thriving right beneath your feet--and shift your perspective on humanity. Ants number in the ten quadrillions, and they have been here since the Jurassic era. Inside an anthill, you'll find high drama worthy of a royal court; and between colonies, high-stakes geopolitical intrigue is afoot. Just like us, ants grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and make vaccines. And, just like us, ants have a dark side: They wage war, despoil environments, and enslave rivals--but also rebel against their oppressors.
Engineered by nature to fulfill their particular roles, ants flawlessly perform a complex symphony of tasks to sustain their colony--seemingly without a conductor--from fearsome army ants, who stage twelve-hour hunting raids where they devour thousands, to gentle leafcutters cooperatively gardening in their peaceful underground kingdoms.
Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has traveled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world--in the field and in the lab. (How do you observe the behavior of ants just millimeters long--or dissect a brain the width of a needle?) Richly illustrated and photographed in full color, Empire of Ants will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower--and raise new questions about the very meaning of "civilization."
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the 2022 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
This sweeping portrait of the world's uncontested six-legged conquerors will open your eyes to the secret societies thriving right beneath your feet--and shift your perspective on humanity. Ants number in the ten quadrillions, and they have been here since the Jurassic era. Inside an anthill, you'll find high drama worthy of a royal court; and between colonies, high-stakes geopolitical intrigue is afoot. Just like us, ants grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and make vaccines. And, just like us, ants have a dark side: They wage war, despoil environments, and enslave rivals--but also rebel against their oppressors.
Engineered by nature to fulfill their particular roles, ants flawlessly perform a complex symphony of tasks to sustain their colony--seemingly without a conductor--from fearsome army ants, who stage twelve-hour hunting raids where they devour thousands, to gentle leafcutters cooperatively gardening in their peaceful underground kingdoms.
Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has traveled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world--in the field and in the lab. (How do you observe the behavior of ants just millimeters long--or dissect a brain the width of a needle?) Richly illustrated and photographed in full color, Empire of Ants will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower--and raise new questions about the very meaning of "civilization."