Studying the behavior of ants in space

Astronomers are studying the behavior and colonization of ants in microgravity and comparing this behavior with that in normal condition of gravity. The behavior may include the interaction rate of a group of ants and the number of ants in a specific area.
This study has been done in International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory and NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Expedition 38 flight engineer, is working on them using a video camera.
Cameras record the movement and behavior of ants and software checks the movement patterns and interaction rates. There are eight ant habitats having three areas: nest area, Forage Area 1 and Forage Area 2. A sealed “door” separates each area from the other.
Principal Investigator in the study is Deborah Gordon, Ph.D., Department of Biology, CA, United States.
NASA has also involved students in grades K-12, who are observing the videos and conducting their experiments.

Source:
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert – 06: Ants in Space (CSI-06) – 01.09.14 – NASA (http://goo.gl/P7HfVf)