Need

Pests destroy millions of crops each year, but they could be

controlled by magnetic fields and pheromones

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Thousands of people die of cancer each year, but

bioengineering with magnetic crystals, could help navigate

nanobots or bacteria through the human body

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Knowledge Base

Figure 2: the magnetic field and pheromone detectors are in the ants antennae and pheromones are released from the hindgut, pygidium, rectum, sternum and hind tibia

Figure 1: Magnetic crystals found in ant antennae

Literature ReviewAnt antennae carry internal GPSJennifer ViegasMay 21, 2009• Magnetic minerals found in

ant antennae• Using high-powered

microscopes and chemical analysis, discovered dirt-acquired magnetic particles in antennae.

• Ants receive geomagnetic information, transduce it in signal to nervous system, then brain.

First identification of a trail pheromone of an army ant

N. J. Oldham, E. D. Morgan, B. Gobin and J. Billen

February 24, 1994• Blind army ants are

able to navigate solely on chemical pheromone scents.

• Release trail pheromone from postpygidial gland

Purpose• The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Ant Pheromone

Trails• Null Hypothesis: The time it takes for the ants to reach

the food will remain the same.• Alternate Hypothesis: The time it takes to reach the

food will increase when there is a magnetic field.• Alternate Hypothesis: In a control test, the time it takes

to reach the food will decrease after the first ant finds the food.

The time it took for the ants to reach the food was

extremely erratic

Control1st trial of Test

Pheromones8 Trials

Magnets4 Trials

Ants placed in arena for eight trials, with a

maximum time of five minutes to reach the food

The time it took for the ants to reach the food decreased

with the trials

The Effect of Magnetic Fields and Pheromones on the Navigation of Ants

Ants placed in the arena for four trials, with a maximum of five minutes to reach the food

and a magnetic field

The time in seconds for the ant to reach the food

The independent variable is the number of trials, and the dependent variables is the time it takes for the ants to reach the food. The average time to reach the food gradually decreases as the number of trials increases. The eight trial was much less than the first trial. This supports our hypothesis that the time will decrease as the number of trials increases.

The independent variable is the number of trials, and the dependent variables is the time it takes for the ants to reach the food. The average time to reach the food increases and decreases in a random pattern. The time it took to reach the food was extremely erratic. This supports our hypothesis that the time will be inconsistent with the control test.

Discussion• The effect of magnets on ants’ ability to

follow and navigate pheromone trails• Other studies have shown that ants

navigate with pheromones and that they contain natural magnetic crystals, but our study shows that the addition of a magnetic field will disrupt both systems.

• This probably happens because both magnet and pheromone sensors are in the antennae, and when an artificial magnetic field is produced, it affects both sensors.

Conclusion• In conclusion, our studies show that

magnetic fields and pheromone trails affect the navigation of ants. Also, in a pheromone test, as the number of trials increases, the time it takes to reach the food decreases. In a magnetic field test, the time it takes the ant to reach the food is mostly random.

Future Studies

• This experiment could be conducted better with a larger testing area, and stronger magnets

• Some new studies based on this experiment could be testing different ant species, different types of food, positions of magnets, or artificial pheromones

BibliographyBeckers, R., J. L. Deneubourg, and S. Goss. "Trails and U-turns in the Selection

of a Path by the Ant Lasius Niger." 10 Oct. 1991. Web."Ants Project." Dana Schlesinger - Interaction Designer and Usability Consultant. Web.

22 Jan. 2010. <http://www.schlezi.com/projects/ants.html>.Oldham, N. J., E. D. Morgan, B. Gobin, and J. Billen. "First Identification of a

Trail Pheromone of an Army Ant (Aenictus Species)." SpringerLink, 24 Feb. 1994. Web.

Jandira Ferreira de Oliveira, Eliane Wajnberg, Darci Motta de Souza Esquivel, Sevil Weinkauf, Michael Winklhofer, and Marianne Hanzlik. “Ant antennae: are they sites for magnetoreception?” J. R. Soc. Interface January 6, 2010 7:143-152.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/05/21/2577321.htmhttp://www.bats.ch/bats/publikationen/1995-1_TA/pics/

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