Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
Women's Tote Bag: Work, Travel, Gym Buy Now
Linen Wide Leg Pants Buy Now
Water Proof Digital Timer Shower Clock for Bathroom Kitchen Buy Now
Ankle Resistance Bands for Booty Workouts Buy Now
2 Pieces Summer Beach Outfits Buy Now
RUNBOX Slim RFID Leather Wallet Buy Now
Men's Slim Fit Knit Cardigan Buy Now
Motorized Rotating Display Stand for Jewelry Buy Now
Casio A158WA: Unisex Digital Watch Buy Now
GoPro Fusion CHDHZ-103-FW 360 Buy Now
KISS WIFE Christmas Jewelry Set for Women Girls Buy Now
Whiskey Smoker Kit Buy Now
Lenovo Tab M9-2023 - Tablet - Long Battery Life Buy Now
Islamic Long Headscarf Chiffon Shawl Buy Now
Blisset 3 Pack High Waisted Leggings for Women Buy Now
Best Friend Keychain Gifts Buy Now
Tracksuits Sweatsuits for Men Buy Now
Crystal Accented Bracelet Watch Buy Now
Slim RFID Aluminum Card Wallet Buy Now
10.1" Octa-Core Tablet with Keyboard & Mouse Buy Now
MoreBack to News Headlines
How many ants are there? The number is 'incredibly difficult to comprehend'

How many ants are there? The number is 'incredibly difficult to comprehend'

CBC
Thursday, September 22, 2022 11:31 AM GMT

There are so many ants on the planet, the human brain can barely comprehend it, says the German insect ecologist who helped calculate the number.

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of scientists examined data from 489 ant studies and used those findings to estimate the number of the critters currently walking the Earth.

The final tally was 20 quadrillion. That's 20 thousand million millions, or 20,000,000,000,000,000 with 16 zeroes. And it's likely an underestimate.

"I'm stunned," Sabine Nooten, a University of Würzburg insect ecologist and one of the lead authors of the study, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "It's incredibly difficult to comprehend. It's amazingly awesome as well."

Put another way, the combined biomass of the world's ants is greater than that of every wild bird and non-human mammal put together. And while they're most common in tropical climates, they can be found in a variety of habitats on every continent. 

And they're all out there, doing their busy work, interrupting picnics and playing an important role in maintaining global ecosystems. 

To come up with their tally, Nooten and her colleagues looked at hundreds of studies from around the world in different languages. 

The studies themselves tended use one of two methods to calculate various ant populations. One is to collect sample leaf litter: "This is really neat because you can use one square metre of a forest floor, take all the leaf litter and extract the ants from this leaf litter. And then you count all the ants in this area and you can, in the end, scale up from this area and extrapolate on the global surface," Nooten said.

The other is to use pitfall traps for the ants and wait for them to fall in, and use those totals to extrapolate wider populations.

Aaron Fairweather, a PhD candidate at the University of Guelph who studies ants and other insects, says the study's methodology is "very impressive and sound," and its global scope is "a huge undertaking."

"Understanding that there are quadrillions of ants on the planet is incredible and unfathomable. The fact that we have the means to begin to understand that is even more amazing," they said.

"We now start to have a glimpse into what global ant life on the planet looks like. That said, in my opinion, this is likely an underestimate of the total volume of ants on the planet."

That's partly because the existing methods of calculating ant populations are limited and unable to account for the critters that live beneath the soil and in vegetation, Fairweather said.

But it's also because there are entire species of ants that have yet to be discovered.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Life is 'better after solar': Harnessing sunlight gives India's salt farmers freedom and profit

Under a punishing midday sun, Devabhai Sawadiya slowly rakes the salt pan that has been in his family for generations. It's quiet around him, except for the sweeping motions of his salt broom and the soft, clinking sound of dishes being washed nearby. 

Some rape crisis centres report spike in calls since start of Hockey Canada sexual assault trial

WARNING: This article references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone impacted by it.

A brisk walk a few times a week could help keep colon cancer away, study suggests

James Smith woke up from a colonoscopy to be told devastating news. At 59, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Doctors found a mass so large it completely blocked their view of the rest of his colon. Smith said he was shocked.

Daughter of First Nations woman missing 20 years remembers her mother's 'warm hands'

Stephanie Cameron-Johnson was 11 and in foster care when she learned her mother had gone missing on Vancouver Island, after a friend showed her a photo in a newspaper.

How much does your gut health impact your overall health? A lot, doctors say

You may be hearing a lot about the gut microbiome these days — it's been mentioned everywhere, from wellness podcasts to the grocery aisle. Doctors are tapping into it to try to treat some diseases differently.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
First Nations opposition continues after passing of Ontario's Bill 5

Many First Nations people in Ontario are continuing protests following the passing of Bill 5 in Ontario last week.

B.C. Mountie loses bid to stay obstruction of justice charge connected to 2017 death of Indigenous man

A Prince George RCMP officer has lost a bid to stay an obstruction of justice charge and will now be sentenced, in a case connected to the 2017 death of an Indigenous man in custody.

Preventable deaths, violent attacks: doctor alleges deteriorating conditions at Fraser Health hospitals

An emergency room physician is blowing the whistle on deteriorating conditions in hospitals managed by B.C.'s Fraser Health Authority — claiming in a lawsuit that her job was threatened after she and other doctors sought to warn patients about a potentially dangerous situation.

Millions of seahorses worth $29M smuggled illegally, study finds

Nearly five million smuggled seahorses were seized globally by authorities over a 10-year period, Canadian researchers found, warning it's only the "tip of the iceberg" in an illegal trade that is likely far larger in scale.

This 40-foot serpent sculpture in Vancouver is a reclamation of Squamish and Japanese art

James Nexw'Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry, a Squamish artist, and Lauren Brevner of Japanese and Trinidadian heritage, have been collaborating on art pieces for a decade.

2 new species of crayfish identified in Pacific Northwest — and they're already at risk

Two new species of crayfish have been identified in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, and researchers say both species are vulnerable to extinction.

Seasonique birth control pills from Teva Canada recalled due to extra yellow tablets

Health Canada issued a recall notice on Friday for some Seasonique birth control products due to some packages containing the correct blue-green pills coming with extraneous yellow tablets.

These families left the Mackenzie Delta for Yukon, and a chance to pursue their hockey dreams

Thirteen-year-old William Gruben said when he first moved from Inuvik, N.W.T., to Whitehorse in August 2024, he missed his friends back home. 

Anniversary of 'Red Paper' highlights First Nations' fight against assimilation

A grassroots group in Edmonton honoured those who stood up for First Nations rights back in 1970 when the Canadian government was proposing to erase legal distinctions between First Nations and other citizens, at an event Wednesday. 

Canadian technology could be used to mine the deep seas, but there's growing alarm over the risks

In dark waters near Collingwood, Ont., a giant yellow machine with metallic claws precisely snatches tiny rock balls from the lakebed, kicking up sediment with each grab. 

What we know about measles during pregnancy

The death of an Ontario infant born prematurely and infected with measles through the mother is raising questions about how the virus is transmitted during pregnancy.

Work underway to measure the quality of life of Nova Scotians with disabilities

In Nova Scotia, where there's a significant proportion of people living with disabilities, work is underway to measure whether the province is making progress on improving their lives.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us