
Fastest ants in world found in northern Sahara, researchers say - laurex
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/16/fastest-ants-in-world-northern-sahara
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m463
Looking at wikipedia, these guys are playing "the floor is lava" for a short
time.

"Largely due to the extreme high temperatures of their habitat, but also due
to the threat of predators, the ants are active outside their nest for only
about 10 minutes per day"

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant)

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TeMPOraL
Offtopic, but, quoting from the box that appeared at the end of article:

> _As the climate crisis escalates the Guardian will not stay quiet. This is
> our pledge: we will continue to give global heating, wildlife extinction and
> pollution the urgent attention and prominence they demand. The Guardian
> recognises the climate emergency as the defining issue of our times._

> _Our independence means we are free to investigate and challenge inaction by
> those in power. We will inform our readers about threats to the environment
> based on scientific facts, not driven by commercial or political interests.
> And we have made several important changes to our style guide to ensure the
> language we use accurately reflects the environmental catastrophe._

> _The Guardian believes that the problems we face on the climate crisis are
> systemic and that fundamental societal change is needed. We will keep
> reporting on the efforts of individuals and communities around the world who
> are fearlessly taking a stand for future generations and the preservation of
> human life on earth. We want their stories to inspire hope. We will also
> report back on our own progress as an organisation, as we take important
> steps to address our impact on the environment._

Ok, so that's about the first time ever when such a box resonated with me. I'm
willing to start dropping them money just because of that. But a question
first - what's the HN's current opinion on the Guardian as a publication? How
accurate are their articles in general? Is it a publication worth supporting?

~~~
mynameishere
It's the type of publication that starts using the word "systemic" because
everybody else started using it all the time. That type. Try asking them how
"environmental catastrophe" and mass migration to their tiny, developed island
go together. Hint: You'll be banned.

Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with
you?

~~~
TeMPOraL
> _Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with
> you?_

No idea. Perhaps it was the right time, the right moment. I'm extremely
sensitive about the climate crisis these days.

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Razengan
> _Silver ants travel 108 times their body length per second and have stride
> rate 10 times that of Usain Bolt ... the ants covered 85.5cm per second in
> 47 strides._

Does this make them the/one of the fastest animals?

Things like this really make me wonder what the other sentient species out
there must be specialized in, compared to us.

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usainBolt
Three feet per second is 2 MPH, or 3.6 KPH.

Elderly humans can walk faster.

Meanwhile, I think some flying insects can hit 90 MPH. Actual speed. Scale
speed is like Mach 4, above and beyond the SR-71.

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nagyf
I think what she/he meant is that they are the fastest in body length per
second.

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xcavier
So,umm, surely I’m not the only one to make the ‘hot sand’ connection...

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Cheyana
Exactly. I'm in Arizona, and in part of the summer, when I'm at a bus stop I
look down and see foraging ants haulin' it on the concrete nearly as fast as
the ones in the article. I'm guessing if I took a feather and lightly held one
in place for a few seconds it would probably die from the heat.

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donatj
I'm confused about the actual speed, as some of the comments make it seem like
the speed is relative to a housecat as opposed to actual.

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vinay427
The listed measurement was 85.5 cm in a second which is about 3.08 km/h.

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Andrex
Thinking about a single ant going 3 kilometers in an hour is gobsmacking.

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mahesh_rm
Wait, they are saying this thing runs close to 200km/h. How is it possible
that they couldn't come up with decent footage of it doing so?

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komaromy
Where do they say that?

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fuzzybear3965
Cunningham's Law victims. Or troll victims. Or both. Or neither.

~~~
fuzzybear3965
And before the wise guy chips in: yes, or a tautology.

