Watch incredible timelapse vid showing swarm of ants OUTSMART humans to solve fiendish puzzle first…can YOU work it out?
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THIS is an incredible timelapse showing a swarm of ants outsmarting humans by solving an unbelievable puzzle. The bizarre experiment was used to explore how both humans and ants navigate a complex maze while working individually or in groups. Researched led by Ofer Feinerman at the Weizmann Institute of Science wanted to find the comparison between the two species, leading to the maze based on the "piano movers puzzle".
![[Watch the incredible timelapse video showing the ants solve the puzzle]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/swarm-intelligence-watch-incredible-timelapse-960103953.jpg?strip=all&w=582)
This is a problem from motion planning and robotics. Instead of a piano, however, participants are captured maneuvering a T-shaped object through a space divided into three chambers. These are connected by narrow slits. Humans tackled the task by themselves or in groups of up to 26 people, meanwhile the ants worked in groups ranging from one to 80.
![[In some parts, the ants performed better than humans]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/swarm-intelligence-watch-incredible-timelapse-960103888.jpg?strip=all&w=596)
The ants in the experiment are Paratrechina longicornis, also known as "crazy ants" due to their erratic movements. Human participants were told to avoid any verbal or gestural communication as this mirrors the ants' natural constrains. They could also only handle the object using specific designated handles equipped with force meters.
Experts found that when humans worked alone, they outperformed ants by a wide margin. They were also said to have used strategic planing to complete the task efficiently. But in group settings, ant colonies showed incredible coordination and problem-solving abilities.
