• Question: Is an ant more free than a school child?

    Asked by coolscientist to Ed, Hayley, Jason, Nathan, Sophie on 13 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Edward Bovill

      Edward Bovill answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      I don’t think ants have the mental ability to wonder whether their lives have any freedom in them. They work extremely hard for the colony and have no choice in what their daily activities are. Their behaviour is mostly programmed into their genes and so they tend to do the same thing over and over again all their lives.

      School children have far more freedom – you can choose what you do in your break times and after school and during class you can choose how much effort you put into your work. If you put more effort in you get rewarded – the ants only reward might be some food one the grubs and queen have had their share.

      I think you school children have the better deal!

    • Photo: Hayley Evers-King

      Hayley Evers-King answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      Not in my house at the moment – it’s the summer here, so we keep getting lots of ants invading our house! I have to catch them in a trap, otherwise they eat our cats food! Visiting school children would probably get cake instead 🙂

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