A 12,000-year-old figurine might depict an interaction between a human and an animal spirit. Plus, parasitic ants trick workers into regicide and behind the scenes of the race to roll out COVID vaccines to everyone.
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Researchers believe that this clay figurine (left) might depict a woman with a goose perched on her back, shown in an artist’s reconstruction (right). (Laurent Davin)
Researchers suggest that a small clay figurine from Southwest Asia’s ancient Natufian culture could be one of the oldest documented depictions of a mythological scene. The approximately 12,000-year-old figure could depict a woman with a goose on her back, which researchers say might represent the imagined mating between a human and an animal spirit. “The scene itself — depicting a sexualized interaction between a human and an animal — is part of a long tradition in myth” and often symbolizes fertility or the sacredness of life, says anthropologist and study co-author Natalie Munro.
Reuters | 5 min read
Reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper
Certain parasitic ants can take over an existing colony by tricking worker ants into killing their queen. Researchers found that a parasitic Lasius orientalis queen can infiltrate a colony of Lasius flavus ants by mingling with its workers to cloak itself in familiar scents. Once assimilated, the invader douses the L. flavus queen with a foul-smelling fluid, the scent of which marks it as an enemy and compels its workers to attack. With the L. flavus queen deposed, the invader seizes power and forces the workers to raise her eggs.
Science | 5 min read
Reference: Current Biology paper
After an initial spray, the parasite flees as the workers attack their queen. Later, it returns to add another dab of fluid, which intensifies the frenzy. (Taku Shimada,Yuji Tanaka,Keizo Takasuka/Current Biology (CC BY 4.0))
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