Ants attack their nest-mates because pollution changes their smell

Harvester ants attack nest-mates whose scent they don’t recognise JorgeOrtiz_1976/Shutters​tock Common air pollutants like ozone and nitric oxide can change the way ants smell, prompting their nest-mates to attack them as if they were intruders. Ants recognise their comrades by scent, and when they encounter an ant whose smell they don’t recognise, they respond aggressively,…

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