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Review: The Lives of Ants by Laurent Keller and Elisabeth Gordon

By Jonathan Beard

18 March 2009

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

A new book explores the ins and outs of ant life

(Image: Oxford University Press)

ANTS live almost everywhere, and this attractive, readable summary of research into their lives is a good reminder that scientists who study ants live in many places, too. For Laurent Keller it is Lausanne, Switzerland. Keller cites species that are common in Swiss forests or pests in the south of France, as well as leaf-cutter and army ants of the tropics and species living in the arid Sahara.

The book is particularly strong when describing recent studies of genes, sex and family dynamics – the…

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