You think scent is powerful for humans - all those evocative, time-warping Proustian Rushes and such?
Well, we humans ain't got nothing on those eternally fascinating little creatures, ants. For ants, the power of scent is so strong it overrides the proof provided by other senses such as sight and touch. At least when it comes to death.
It seems that about two days after an ant dies, it gives off a unique odor that informs the other ants of its demise. Until then, the other ants simply ignore the corpse. But once that "I'm dead" odor is released and telegraphed, the dead ant is picked up and carried to the ant graveyard.
The scientist who noticed this behavior was able to isolate the "I'm dead" odor. It's oleic acid. The rascal placed a drop of oleic acid on an unsuspecting live ant, and voila, that ant was whisked away to the ant graveyard. Kicking and screaming (so to speak) all the way. This kept happening until the ant was able to wash off the "I'm dead" aroma. (That's what I'd call a real scrubber.)
What's so interesting is that the ant's squirming and struggling - obvious proof that it was very much alive - wasn't enough to override the scent signal. In the ant world, if you SMELL dead, you ARE dead, case closed.
Here's the full story and broadcast from NPR's All Things Considered. True scent lovers will enjoy the description of the different chemicals the scientist "enjoyed" as he worked to find the "I'm dead" scent. They include a favorite among us perfumistas - skatole.
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