40 Fascinating Facts That People Only Learned Now And Just Had To Share With Others (New Pics)

One of the best fonts for interesting new facts about the world comes from insects, which tend to be a bit hard to study, as they are pretty small and interact with the world in a very different sort of manner. Ants, bees, and other hive insects are of particular interest since they approach life in a way that seems so alien to most humans.

For example, you might wonder why they are capable of such complex behavior without seemingly any language. Well, the answer lies in pheromones, which can convey a massive amount of information very quickly. Unfortunately, these insects tend to “overvalue” a pheromone over any other information, leading to comic and sometimes tragic situations. 

You may have seen clips of ants running in a circle, one after another. This isn’t some strange ritual or defense mechanism, this is what is sometimes called the ring of death or “ant mill,” where the ants simply go in a circle, following the ant in front of it. Often, it leads to the death of most ants involved, as they exhaust themselves. 

While it may seem like a silly issue to have, the benefits of pheromones still outweigh the downsides. After all, ants are quite small, which seriously impedes their ability to perceive things. A few blades of grass and their perception of space is completely blocked. Pheromones can spread over a larger area and ignore many obstacles. 

Once you realize that nearly every facet of life has this sort of potential to surprise and amuse, it can be both daunting and exciting to learn more. The real problem in the 21st century is the overwhelming amount of data and information out there. Where does one even start on any given topic? A Google search won’t work, as you might end up being bludgeoned by multiple encyclopedias worth of data. 

So if you do enjoy these sorts of bite-sized bits of information, look no further, as Bored Panda has got you covered. Check out our other articles with more facts from “Today I Learned” from this summer to learn more about people from history we should all know more about and interesting animal facts.