{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Buarque de Macedo R"],"funding":["DOD | U.S. Army"],"pagination":["e2102267118"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8433525"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["118(36)"],"pubmed_abstract":["Granular excavation is the removal of solid, discrete particles from a structure composed of these objects. Efficiently predicting the stability of an excavation during particle removal is an unsolved and highly nonlinear problem, as the movement of each grain is coupled to its neighbors. Despite this, insects such as ants have evolved to be astonishingly proficient excavators, successfully removing grains such that their tunnels are stable. Currently, it is unclear how ants use their limited information about the environment to construct lasting tunnels. We attempt to unearth the ants' tunneling algorithm by taking three-dimensional (3D) X-ray computed tomographic imaging (XRCT), in real time, of <i>Pogonomyrmex</i> ant tunnel construction. By capturing the location and shape of each grai"],"journal":["Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"],"pubmed_title":["Unearthing real-time 3D ant tunneling mechanics."],"pmcid":["PMC8433525"],"funding_grant_id":["W911NF-17-1-0212","W911NF-19-1-0245"],"pubmed_authors":["Joy S","Viggiani G","Pal RK","Buarque de Macedo R","Ando E","Parker J","Andrade JE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Unearthing real-time 3D ant tunneling mechanics.","description":"Granular excavation is the removal of solid, discrete particles from a structure composed of these objects. Efficiently predicting the stability of an excavation during particle removal is an unsolved and highly nonlinear problem, as the movement of each grain is coupled to its neighbors. Despite this, insects such as ants have evolved to be astonishingly proficient excavators, successfully removing grains such that their tunnels are stable. Currently, it is unclear how ants use their limited information about the environment to construct lasting tunnels. We attempt to unearth the ants' tunneling algorithm by taking three-dimensional (3D) X-ray computed tomographic imaging (XRCT), in real time, of <i>Pogonomyrmex</i> ant tunnel construction. By capturing the location and shape of each grai","dates":{"release":"2021-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2021 Sep","modification":"2026-05-08T15:52:54.227Z","creation":"2025-02-18T23:32:25.608Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC8433525","cross_references":{"pubmed":["34426523"],"doi":["10.1073/pnas.2102267118"]}}