I love discovering overlooked plants and animals that play outsized roles in the environment. I’m also fascinated by complex systems, especially when they’re easy to observe.

And nothing ticks all three of those boxes better than ants.

One estimate says that for every human on earth, there may be as many as 2.5 million ants. And these ants form complex societies with unique roles. They communicate in mysteriously complex ways, and can range in size from almost microscopic to an inch and a half long.

Ants can build colonies in acorns, hollow twigs, leaf baskets, massive tree branches, and of course, in the ground. The largest super colonies stretch for hundreds of miles - and by the way, you can find such super colonies in California and in southern Europe. They can farm fungi, and ranch aphids.

My guest today helped unveil all of this and more. Chloe Jelly is a graduate researcher at Cornell University in the Moreau lab. She particularly enjoys outreach, which made her an ideal guest for today’s episode.

People sometimes say that viruses and microbes rule the world, but after today’s discussion, you’ll see that ants aren’t very far behind.

Find Chloe on her website, at the Moreau Lab, and on BlueSky.

Check our Full Show Notes for photos and videos that were discussed today.

Links Discussed In The Show
Chloe's website, and Chloe on BlueSky

Chloe Jelley's papers (Google Scholar)

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

Moreau Lab at Cornell

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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