Washington: An ant colony is probably the last place one would expect to find a maths whiz, but a study has shown that they could solve complex, dynamic problems, and may even help computer experts develop better software.
Using a novel technique, scientists tested whether Argentine ants could solve a dynamic optimisation problem by converting classic Towers of Hanoi maths puzzle into a maze. But since ants cannot move disks, they converted the puzzle into a maze where the shortest path corresponds to the solution with fewest moves in the toy puzzle.
The ants were given one hour to solve the maze by creating a high traffic path between their nest and the food source, after which time the researchers blocked off paths and opened up new areas of the maze to test the ants' dynamic problem solving ability.
After an hour, the ants solved the Towers of Hanoi by finding shortest path around the edge of the maze. “Finding the most efficient path through a busy network is a common challenge faced by delivery drivers, telephone routers and engineers,” says Chris Reid, who led the study. AGENCIES
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