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'Adventures Among Ants' - A Journey To The Surface Of The Earth

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Commodore%20Skahill/Colin%20McEnroe%20Show%2009-12-2012.mp3

Mark Moffett (Adventures Among Ants) has been called the "Indiana Jones of entomology" and, for that matter, the "Martha Stewart of dirt." He has spent a lot of time prying open the closed worlds of ants, and he has developed, for the species, both an admiration and an apprehension.

There's no question that ant colonies exhibit discipline, sacrifice, communalism and, in many cases, a decentralized leadership structure that fosters adaptability and good decision making. 
 
On the other hand, ants are even more mindlessly murderous than humans at their worst. It wouldn't surprise you to know ants routinely kill all kinds and all sizes of other animals, but it might surprise you to know how ready they are to rape, pillage, kill, or devour other members of their exact species simply because those ants happen to smell just a little bit different. So, no, they're not a good model for us. 
 
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.

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Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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