[ExI] ants again

[MB]

Bryan wrote:
>>
>> Have you considered the ants from the rain forests?
>> Apparently some of these ants have evolved to glide because
>> in the rain forests, falling off a tree means days of
>> climbing back up. So when they fall off by mistake, they can
>> glide back to the trunk without falling to the floor.
>>
>> - Bryan
>

Spike replied:
> Intriguing notion Bryan.  I would really be impressed if these tiny beasts
> were running a sufficiantly sophisticated program in their brains to
> manipulate aerodynamic control surfaces, but I could be wrong.
>
> I can't tell from this post which theory, if either, that Bryan supports.
> Bryan, jumper or faller?  I think I am a faller, but without a test, I can't
> say with any certanty.  Anyone else?
>

spike - I am not ignoring the ants posts, I'm reading them with interest, but I do
not have a theory.  I've also read about what Bryan wrote, and it would not suprise
me that it is "a so tale" (true). It sounds like they fall, but perhaps they jumped
to escape a predator.

I'm not at all sure I'd call it "running a sophisticated program" - I'd suggest it
is more evolutionary advantage to glide to the tree trunk and those who could do so
survived better.

The tricky thing about that is that those worker ants that do the gliding, they
don't get to pass their genes - so where's the *evolutionary* advantage? Maybe it's
that "cousins" thing again?

Regards,
MB