News Paleontology

Early ants may have had complex social lives, fossil data suggests

Ants have used specialized antenna bristles to communicate for 100 million years

fossilized ant

Fossilized Gerontoformica gracilis ants (one shown) have sensory equipment on their antennae that suggest the insects could identify and share chemical signals with their nestmates.

Ryo Taniguchi

By Jake Buehler

Even the earliest ants may have been social butterflies.

Ants fossilized in 100-million-year-old amber have sensory equipment that suggests they had complex social lives similar to their modern-day ancestors, researchers report June 14 in Science Advances.