Thursday, March 1, 2007

The News
Ants may help us adjust to global warming
TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led team of international biologists says some ants have adjusted well to urban warming and may help other species adapt to such climate change.
The researchers, led by Michael Angilletta of Indiana State University, note large cities can be more than 10 degrees hotter than their surroundings, with such urban heat islands stressing animals and plants.
The scientists discovered that ants in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America's largest city, can tolerate heat better than ants from elsewhere. That finding suggests Sao Paulo ants have adjusted physiologically in response to urban warming.


The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS One.

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