Why Ants Never Have Traffic Jams

June 4, 2015 in Daily Bulletin

Tyler Cowen discussed research about traffic management by ants:

  • Ants never seem to get stuck in traffic jams, even on trails over 60 feet long.
  • Unlike humans, when traffic is heavy, ants speed up instead of slowing down.
  • They also widen their trail as more of them arrive on it.
  • Since they don’t have great vision ants use their antennae and legs to figure out who’s behind and in front of them.
  • This seems to be key to their ability to manage traffic. While human drivers are unable to do this, driverless cars probably will be able to.

You can read more here, and find the full study here.

Source: Marginal Revolution