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Ant Work, spectacular toy based on NASA experiment
This Blog Rules featured an article and some fantastic photos of a toy based on a NASA experiment with ants. It's the coolest looking ant farm I've ever seen.
http://www.thisblogrules.com/2009/11/ant-works-spectacular-nasa-experiment.html#
Discussions
8 years ago
Culturespy, would you be willing to fix the title to be more accurate? The AntWorks farm you've shown, and what was written up in the blog, is not a "NASA experiment," but a $20 commercial product (kids' toy).
It may be true that the nutrient gel itself was originally developed by NASA (I found a 1974 review article discussing the topic), but not the whole product.
This doesn't detract from the coolness, but I hate misleading science :-(
Reply 8 years ago
There you go. Thanks for pointing that out. ...Now if I can get a few pounds of that gel. That blog post really was a little misleading.
Reply 8 years ago
Here's the recipe.... Mostly gellum gel with a little nutrients and sugar and a tone of preservatives.
Reply 8 years ago
Looks like you can buy the kits for as little as $13 (see my link). A more focused search (maybe "insect nutrient gel" or something) ought to get you bulk suppliers.
8 years ago
(A longer version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPGDWD_oLE)
Reply 8 years ago
Moi aussi. L
Reply 8 years ago
You're Austrailian?!? I always thought you were British... ;->
Reply 8 years ago
Ha, ha, ha. L
Reply 8 years ago
Yeah, ill change it as soon as I get to a computer. I just stuck with the blogs title but am happy to make it more accurate.
Reply 8 years ago
No worries. It was interesting reading the blog's comments, which is what led me to check for myself.