MI weekly selection #537

Army ants use collective decision-making when hunting

Ants use relatively sophisticated problem-solving abilities to collectively overcome obstacles when hunting for food. The insects often build a bridge by linking their bodies when they face an obstacle, such as a gap between leaves, suggesting that the insects exercise collective decision-making and weigh the costs and benefits of building a bridge to maximize efficiency.

Full Story: National Public Radio

A black hole is losing massive amounts of energy

Astronomers have found the first evidence of a supermassive black hole losing energy and flowing out through jets in the direction of its magnetic field, according to observations of a black hole known as M87 located about 55 million light-years from Earth.

Full Story: Insider

Global view of Io’s volcanic activity

Data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft provided the first view of the volcanic activity as a whole on Jupiter’s moon Io, indicating a possible global magma ocean beneath the surface. Scientists found the frequency of volcanic activity is similar at upper and lower latitudes, and tidal heating from Jupiter occurs within Io’s upper mantle.

Full Story: Space

Decreases in slow-wave sleep may raise dementia risk

Slow-wave sleep decreases once people reach age 60 and they may have a 27% higher risk of dementia for each percentage point decrease in slow-wave sleep per year. Earlier research found that people with Alzheimer’s-related changes in their brain performed better on memory tests with more slow-wave sleep.

Full Story: ScienceAlert

67% of children’s calories from ultraprocessed foods

Children and teens in the US derive 67% of their calories from ultraprocessed foods like frozen pizza and packaged snacks, according to a study analyzing data from 1999 to 2018. The research highlights concerns about the health implications of increased consumption of less healthy ultraprocessed foods by young individuals and emphasizes the need for efforts to address dietary habits during critical developmental stages.

Full Story: CNN