How Good Are Ants’ Sense of Smell?
WouterUsing ants to sniff out cancer could prove to be an effective bio-detection technique. Researchers have recently demonstrated that the ants can differentiate between healthy human cells and cancerous ones. They also found that ants can detect hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are long chains of hydrogen and carbon molecules that are not easily evaporated.
These molecules enter the ants nervous system and cause a reaction. This reaction can be measured using high-tech equipment. In fact, the ants had the ability to correctly identify chemical odors associated with a reward.
They can also detect subtle odor changes in pheromones. These pheromones are chemical signals that ants use to communicate with other members of their colony. This ability may have enabled ants to develop a social organization.
Scientists have discovered that ants have more olfactory receptor proteins than humans. In fact, they have four to five times more than most insects.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, have studied the molecular basis of ant olfaction. Their findings indicate that ants have a keen sense of smell and a very complex pheromone system. This ability may help ants to find food and mates and to communicate with other members of the colony.
This new study also found that ants can distinguish between different types of hydrocarbons. Traditionally, a worker ant’s sense of smell was thought to only detect cuticular hydrocarbons. This theory suggested that they would not be able to detect hydrocarbons from nestmates with too many pheromones.
