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The army ants of Africa

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Civilization is typically characterized by intellectual, cultural, and material development. Do organisms other than humans have the ability to exist in a social structure? Despite the small brain capacity of an individual ant, the collective of a colony has produced a remarkable society complete with division of labor, communication, and the ability to solve problems.

An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
An individual ant, even though it has a brain about a millionth of a size of a human being's, can learn a maze; the kind we use is a simple rat maze in a laboratory. They can learn it about one-half as fast as a rat.
E. O. Wilson, American biologist and naturalist
Ants have the most complicated social organization on earth next to humans.
E. O. Wilson
But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they dominated the world.
E. O. Wilson
Ants are good citizens, they place group interests first.
Clarence Day, American author and humorist
The ant is knowing and wise, but he doesn’t know enough to take a vacation.
Clarence Day
Culture is how biology responds and makes its living conditions better.
C.J. Cherryh, author


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