Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Now in paperback--this portrait of the world's uncontested six-legged conquerors will open your eyes to the secret societies beneath your feet Publisher's note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.
Look inside an anthill, and you'll find drama worthy of a royal court: 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. Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik, joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, invites readers deep into her world--in the field and in the lab.
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. Publisher's note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.
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?) With more than sixty black-and-white photographs and illustrations throughout, Planet of the 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. Publisher's note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.
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?) With more than sixty black-and-white photographs and illustrations throughout, Planet of the Ants will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower--and raise new questions about the very meaning of "civilization."
Synopsis
"Beautifully illustrated with color photographs, the book offers a view into parallels between seemingly out-of-this-world ant societies and our own, including cities, an intense work ethic, division of labor, intragroup cooperation combined with genocidal outgroup warfare, even a kind of to-the-death national loyalty. The authors' scientific rigor is matched by their joy in their subjects."--The Wall Street Journal
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?) With more than sixty black-and-white photographs and illustrations throughout, Planet of the Ants will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower--and raise new questions about the very meaning of "civilization."
Publisher's note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.
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.
The closer you get to ants, the more human they look. Ants build megacities, tend gardens, wage wars, and farm livestock. Ants have flourished since the
age of the dinosaurs. There are one million ants for every one of us.
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 both the field and the lab. Exploring these insects' tiny yet incredible lives will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower.
Publisher's note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.