Tibor's Musings

Acquis et inné

A propos de notre débat récent sur l'acquis-versus-inné dans le domaine d'intelligence, voici les information et les sources que j'avais mentionnées.

L'un des points forts dans ce domaine est l'étude des jumeaux identiques monozygotes. Comme ils ont des gènes 100% identiques, et comme il arrive qu'ils soient parfois séparés après …

Fastest Ants

Ants are fast. Really fast. Who is the ant champion of speed? And what would it take for a human to move the same way?

Odontomachus bauri. The fastest movement ever measured in the animal world. Mandible closure time from open wide to fully closed in 0.0003-0.001 sec …

Vampire Bats and the Food Sharing Dilemma

Vampire bats are known for sharing their food with friends. Is this an altogether altruistic process? Can a lazy bat profit from the generosity of his friends all the while never paying them back?

Shabby Ants

In popular knowledge, ant societies are an amazing example of animal collaboration. A working-together society full of brave actions. Less known are examples of working-against society full of shabby actions.

Consider the spectacular Polyergus, the Amazon ant, the queen of which penetrates into the nest of Formica species, kills the …