Ants Navigate Using Memories And The Sun

A new research shows that ants navigate using memories and the sun. It uses the sun and its memories as a guide going back and out of its home. They are well known for their remarkable work ethics. A study now discovers that their navigation skills are refined. This discovery could inspire a new generation of robots using mechanisms of an ant’s brain, that is known to be smaller than a pinhead.
Insects that often walk backwards carrying heavy loads of food are known to find their way back to their nest from the position of the sun and their visual memory of the surroundings. Ants were known to use both processes, however, these were assumed to be separate reflexes, and that it required them to be facing in their direction of travel. Instead scientist show that ants walking backwards are occasionally looking behind them to check their surroundings, and use the information and set a course related to the sun’s position.
In this way ants navigate the right path to its nest. Findings suggest that ants understand spatial relations in the external world, not just relative to themselves. The flexible and booming navigation behavior could lead to a computer algorithm’s operation to guide robots. According to the Daily Mail, ants navigate successfully even in a very difficult conditions, including going backwards while carrying heavy load of food.
According to the BBC, scientist say that ants navigate skills are even more impressive than we used to know. Scientist says that ants could follow compass route, regardless of what direction the ant is facing. It is equivalent to searching your way home while walking backwards or even spinning round and round. Dr Antoine Wystrach of the University of Edinburgh and CNRS in Paris, says that ants could maintain a direction of travel independently currently on their body orientation.