Silver ants native to the Sahara desert which is one of the hottest environments on the planet, apparently keep cool with special hairs in order to survive according to a new study.
Researchers from Columbia University along with University of Washington and University of Zürich reveal how these ants stay cool amidst the Saharan heat with the unique structure of the ants' hair where ants gain the ability to control the amount of solar spectrum they receive.
According to lead author of the study Nanfang Yu from Columbia Engineering, this is prime evidence of adaptation and evolution for survival where ants have developed these special hairs to prevent themselves from overheating.
The special hairs help Saharan silver ants or Cataglyphis bombycina withstand the scorching temperatures since they forage for food during the hottest time of the day during the middle of the day to stay away from predators.
Temperatures during midday in the Sahara can be deadly as it can reach up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit where the tiny ants need to maintain a body temperature of below 128.48 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scientists have been trying to reveal the ants' secret to surviving the desert's stressful conditions and the secret is all about the hairs.
Researchers carefully examined these ants using electron microscopy and ion beam milling where the team found out that silver ants are covered especially on the top and sides of their bodies with a special coating of uniquely shaped hairs that have reflective properties under visible light and even near infrared light.
What makes these hairs even more effective is that the hairs can also deflect mid infrared solar spectrum range waves which in turn helps the ants to shed off excess internal body heat and disperse it into cooler air surrounding them.
Yu confirms that these two effects complement each other and can lead to a maximum cooling effect under the Sahara sun. The new study also shows that these effects can lessen the ants' body temperature by 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
These new findings can help scientists explore new ways to incorporate cooling systems and apply them to metasurfaces to achieve an optimal cooling effect. This new study is published in the journal Science.