#30483: — 07/01  at  09:29 AM
Could someone give me a rundown on the mechanics of this? When I heard about this yesterday, I had to wonder where the male ants were coming from. This link clears that up, but I'm still clueless about what's going on with the ant sperm (ants have sperm, right?). Does it swim up to the appropriate place in the female like a normal spermatazoon, but then implant itself like an ovum?

Also, the workers get genes from the males? Is that how haploidy normally works? I had a vague idea that workers normally got a half complement of the Queen's genes, am I wrong on that?

#30487: — 07/01  at  09:32 AM
Sounds good, but it is alittle pricey for a educational book. I'll have to wait for the price to come down, the library to get it, or for it to come on video.

#30490: Brian S. — 07/01  at  10:22 AM
Fascinating about the ants - seems to me that you could make the argument that the ant has split into two different species (one male, one female) and the species are symbiotic because they need each to create sterile workers.

All-female species are nothing new, but all-male is pretty interesting.

#30491: — 07/01  at  10:35 AM
The genetic system in fire ants is, indeed, strange. I just wish it would lead someone to find a way make sure it meant the immediate death of every fire ant in North America. I have been stung.

#30492: fwiffo — 07/01  at  10:42 AM
I know this is OT, and not related to biology, but it is an important development for freethinkers. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her retirement. She was the swing-vote in the recent ten commandments decisions. Now, the ten commandments is actually a pretty minor thing by itself, but the bigger implications are staggering. To give you an idea of the significance, here's a snippet from the dissenting opinion, written by Scalia and joined by the other dissenters:

I would uphold McCreary County and Pulaski County, Kentucky’s (hereinafter Counties) displays of the Ten Commandments. I shall discuss first, why the Court’s oft repeated assertion that the government cannot favor religious practice is false; second, why today’s opinion extends the scope of that falsehood even beyond prior cases; and third, why even on the basis of the Court’s false assumptions the judgment here is wrong... (emphasis mine)

In other words, four members of the court think it's perfectly OK for the government to favor religion (i.e. discriminate against atheists). The justice that puts that opinion in the minority is going to replaced by a Bush appointtee. What are they odds that they will support the Lemon test?

#30493: — 07/01  at  11:03 AM
Countdown until the Amazon entry for Mark's book gets filled up with idiotic creationist arguments starts... now...

#30495: — 07/01  at  11:08 AM

#30491: Mark Paris — 07/01 at 11:35 AM
The genetic system in fire ants is, indeed, strange. I just wish it would lead someone to find a way make sure it meant the immediate death of every fire ant in North America. I have been stung.

My ant colleague #1273434 was trodden upon by Mark Paris. I wish that our ant scientists understood human genetics well enough to make sure of the immediate death of every Mark Paris on the planet.

#30496: Raven — 07/01  at  11:45 AM
Fire Ant #1273423, Colony #234754125--

Serves you damn right. I join Mark Paris in his declared war on your species.

When I was a toddler in Alabama, we had a beagle named Cleo, who was intensely loyal to and protective of me. One day, I got into a fire ant bed, and your ilk swarmed and stung me. I was screaming and crying, and my mother picked me up and starting brushing the ants off me. Cleo saw me screaming, and my mother swatting me, put two and two together in her canine brain, ran over and sank her teeth into my mother's leg.

#30497: — 07/01  at  11:57 AM
I do not tread on fire ants. That way leads to pain. I poison them. I invite anyone who thinks that's not nice to have a picnic in a nice, grassy field full of fire ant mounds.

By the way, Fire Ant #1273423, Colony #234754125, if you can tell me where you live, I would love to drop by. I have some nice drinkies for you.

#30498: — 07/01  at  12:27 PM
I haven't worked my way through all 10 decalog opinions, but my impression from the news was that Justice Breyer was the swing vote on these cases.

Correct or not, that still doesn't detract from the main point--Justice O'Connor's vote has frequently been a critical one, and it's a shame she couldn't outlast Mr. Bush.

#30499: — 07/01  at  12:32 PM
Sorry, couldn't resist that! We don't have fire ants here in the UK, so we Brits don't understand the perils of their defence weapons! Re. the genetics: what fascinating discoveries entomological geneticists (if that's the right job title) have made.

Anyone over the pond want a few (million) Scottish midges for experimental comparison of their bites with fire ant stings? Immediately less painful, I suspect, but quite unpleasant nevertheless. I have several very itchy weals as a result of midge bites suffered at the weekend.

#30504: — 07/01  at  01:24 PM
In case anyone didn't know, fire ants are not native to the continental US. They were imported accidentally, I hope, from South America. They have been spreading gradually northward for several decades. As far back at around 1960 people were trying to use aerial pesticide spraying to control them. It was futile. Back then in north Georgia I had no idea what fire ants were. I know now. They have mounds all over this area. Their sting is quite painful and leaves a large, hard, red swollen lump for a week or so. Their main danger (and I do mean danger, not just inconvenience) is that when disturbed they swarm out and cover the perceived danger before they start stinging.

#30517: — 07/01  at  03:53 PM
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/29/004124.php

"Creationism is Fascism"

#30536: — 07/01  at  06:39 PM

As far back at around 1960 people were trying to use aerial pesticide spraying to control them. It was futile.

I've been told that such spraying is directly counterproductive: reportedly, fire ants are better than native species at occupying empty (from the ant perspective) territory than at displacing establishing colonies. Pesticides, of course, don't discriminate, so the continual spraying of poisons basically just opens up (re-)emptied land every year, to the advantage of fire ants (and of pesticide producers & applicators, which seems to have some bearing on why this approach has persisted for so many decades).

#30551: — 07/01  at  10:30 PM
Mark Paris

Poison (Ortho-diazinon) works, but I have had excellent results in Central Texas using pots full of boiling water. In the event of a swarm of the little bastards, carborator cleaner and a propane torch are equally effective and much more satisfying.

As for the Mark Issak book,... yeah, its too expensive to tout in the face of every obnoxious creationist, but I'll bet ya'll that it is just heavy enough to beat them to death with.

#30557: John Wilkins — 07/02  at  12:41 AM
I, for one, welcome our myrmidon overlords.

But you... you... fiend, Mhyers! Sending me traffic when I'm away. When I'm back, I'll be able to tell you a thing or two, you just wait.

#30561: — 07/02  at  07:14 AM

Fire ants are not native to the continental US. They were imported accidentally, I hope, from South America.

Your hope is come true: they hail from South America. And they are no accident, they were sent as an expeditionary vanguard force to reconnaitre. The really bad ones, the legendary hormigas bravas or hormigas locas of Misiones, North Argentina (home of the piranha), are rumoured to process lazy cows into whitened bones in just ten minutes. They advance in disciplined mobile columns, taking no prisioners. It is a cloned army, uninterested in sex. Natives live in houses on 3 m tall concrete pedestals, and surround them with sacks soaked in kerosen. Soon the climate will be warm enough and the order of "En marcha, rumbo Norte!" will be given. You prepare hot water, we bring the yerba mate.

#30573: — 07/02  at  09:18 AM
Amazon needs to work on their system - this is from the page displaying The Counter-Creationism Handbook:

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I have removed the links. This shows the perils of automatic systems, and also illustrates why ID creationism is nonsense. Design only works as long as you have taken everything into consideration.