It already feels like a distant memory: the time when RIVM director Jaap van Dissel was trying to keep everyone at a metre and a half apart. Yet social distancing to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is still a pretty smart strategy, as experiments with the black garden ant (Lasius niger; Science, 17 October) have shown. These ants even adjust the three-dimensional architecture of their nest when confronted with individuals infected with the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum. They create greater distances between entrances and position the central chamber less centrally within the nest – the first evidence for the existence of ‘architectural immunity’ in social animals. (GvM)
See also:
–‘Ants alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics’ – Website University of Bristol (16 October 2025)