[即时新闻]170122-Ants use the Sun to get from A to B

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Ants are impressive creatures. There are many things we do not know about them. Scientists have just found an amazing new fact about these tiny insects. It is about how ants get from A to B, without getting lost. Scientists say ants can go in a straight line, whatever direction they are facing. The BBC said it is the same as, "trying to find your way home while walking backwards or even spinning round and round". Ants do this by using the position of the Sun, their memories, and what they can see around them. Professor Barbara Webb said ants get around like a self-driving car.

The scientists studied desert ants in Spain. Their report is in the journal 'Current Biology'. They said ants could travel over long distances from their nest even when there are obstacles in their way. They can also do this if they have to drag food while walking backwards. Professor Webb said: "Ants have a…tiny brain…yet they can navigate successfully under many difficult conditions, including going backwards." She said: "Understanding their behaviour gives us new [ideas] into brain function and has inspired us to build robot systems that [copy] their functions."