Tech EU News

euronews science – UK researchers become ant-tag-onists

Published

1 year ago

June 13, 2025

http://www.euronews.com/ Scientists in the UK are taking a super-small approach to solving a big puzzle on the Longshaw Estate in the Peak District.

They want to know more about the northern hairy wood ant, an insect close to being threatened as a species.

So researchers from the University of York are fitting tiny radio tags to a thousand ants to find out how they communicate and travel among their complex nests.

The three year research project is a world first.

Experts carefully glue a one millimetre radio chip to each ant, insisting that the insects are not harmed in any way.

“The interesting thing about ants is that each individual ant is rather stupid, but together they do all these amazing and complicated behaviours,” explained Sam Ellis, a biologist at the University of York. “The key is to understand what very simple rules can you give an individual ant, but then when these, when they all interact, they do these complicated things. And these tags will hopefully help give information about this, because you can say this ant is doing this, this ant is doing this, and when they interact together, this happens. You can start to build up a picture.”

The tags act something like a supermarket bar-code, triggering monitors when the ant passes by pre-set sensors.

Researchers can examine how ants communicate with each other in their colonies, which are connected by a network of ant motorways.

Multiple ant queens live among several nests.

Scientists hope that the research project will not only shed light on the wood ants’ behaviour, but will also help to conserve them for the future.

Understanding more about them may ultimately keep this protected species off the endangered list.

Find us on:
Youtube http://bit.ly/zr3upY
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/euronews.fans
Twitter http://twitter.com/euronews

source

Related Topics:90's ant-tag-onists become euronews news researchers science Tech

Up Next

US searches for Russian man charged with cyber attack

Don't Miss

Oxfam: ‘eight men own as much wealth as poorest half of world’s population’

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Tech EU News

Erika, the globalised tanker disaster

Published

7 hours ago

July 4, 2026

euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ The Erika oil tanker disaster had globalisation written all over it. The ship was registered in Malta.

It had been certified as seaworthy by the Italian company RINA. The vessel was owned by an Italian based in London. Its cargo was owned by a Panama branch of the French oil company Total. The single-hulled Erika had been built 24 years earlier, in Japan.

It got into trouble off the coast of Brittany, France but outside French territorial waters, even though the spill fouled 400 kilometres of the mainland. It would be a black Christmas here.

The stricken ship, denied a port of refuge, stayed at sea in heavy weather, long-corroded and now fatally cracked. December 12, 1999 was the ship’s ultimate date of expiration. It would take tens of thousands of birds with it. Cleanup would stretch through all of the year 2000 and cost many millions.

The trial to decide responsibility began in February 2007. The Indian captain, the certification company RINA, the ship’s owners and Total were all in the dock.

Brittany and the French Loire region, towns and cities along the coast and associations were the plaintiffs. They called for both civil and criminal penalties, and notably reparations to redress the ecological damage.

In January 2008, their case was upheld, a legal milestone. This was congratulated by the French Minister for the Environment at the time.

Dominique Voynet said: “It is the first time that damage to the environment is recognised, both for the regions and protective associations. The evaluation not only of the impact on the economy but also the damage done to the birds, sea, coast and to natural beauty is completely exceptional.”

The Erika disaster also moved European regulation in these matters along. Single-hulled oil tankers have been banned from EU ports since 2003.

Find us on:
Youtube http://bit.ly/zr3upY
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/euronews.fans
Twitter http://twitter.com/euronews

source

Tech EU News

Italy calls for more equal relationship with migration producing states

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2026

euronews

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has called for a new and more equal relationship between Europe and the developing countries that produce migrants.

Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/euronews?sub_confirmation=1
Watch our LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/c/euronews/live

Subscribe to our thematic channels:
NoComment: https://www.youtube.com/c/nocommenttv?sub_confirmation=1
Euronews Green: http://bit.ly/2sMsaDB
Euronews Next: https://www.youtube.com/c/EuronewsNext?sub_confirmation=1
Euronews Travel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EuronewsTravel?sub_confirmation=1

Euronews is available on YouTube in 12 languages: https://www.youtube.com/user/euronewsnetwork/channels

#World

source

Tech EU News

‘Immediately was enchanted’: Viral Puerto Rico song gets its own music video shot on island

Published

3 days ago

July 1, 2026

euronews

‘Immediately was enchanted’: Viral Puerto Rico song gets its own music video shot on island

The song creator Bill Stiteler worked with Discover Puerto Rico to create a video that highlights some of the island’s top tourist attractions.

Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/euronews?sub_confirmation=1
Watch our LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/c/euronews/live

Euronews is available on YouTube in 12 languages: https://www.youtube.com/user/euronewsnetwork/channels

#TravelNews

source

Tech EU News

Euronews correspondent describes Tahrir Square

Published

3 days ago

July 1, 2026

euronews

Euronews correspondent Luis Carballo has spent the day in Tahrir Square in Cairo and has seen for himself what is happening in Egypt right now. The anti-government demonstrators continue to defy calls from the authorities to disperse.

Luis Carballo:
…
http://www.euronews.net/

source