Ants capture carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into...

What’s Happening

Listen up: Fungus-farming ants have evolved a remarkable solution to the danger of excess carbon dioxide inside their nests – which could inspire ways for humans to capture CO2 Life Ants capture carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into armour Fungus-farming ants have evolved a remarkable solution to the danger of excess carbon dioxide inside their nests – which could inspire ways for humans to capture CO2 By James Woodford 2 March 2026 Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email Electron microscope image showing an ant with dolomite in its exoskeleton Hongjie Li An ant that can turn carbon dioxide in the air into dolomite stone in its exoskeleton may hold clues to how humans can sequester greenhouse gases to avert climate disaster.

Fungus-farming ants forage for vegetation to feed cultivated fungi that are grown inside their colonies. In turn, the fungi serve as the primary food source for the ants. (we’re not making this up)

The high density of ants and fungi can result in high concentrations of CO2 inside the nests.

The Details

At this rate, carbon dioxide removal will never matter for the climate In 2020, Cameron Currie at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues found that the ants of the species Acromyrmex echinatior incorporate a carbonate biomineral into their armour . The ants do this through a symbiotic relationship with Pseudonocardia bacteria, which transform CO2 into rock using chemical processes that arent yet properly understood.

Now the team has found out that another fungus-farming ant, Sericomyrmex amabilis , which is found in Central and South America, can do the same thing without symbiotic bacteria, becoming the first known animal to have evolved this ability. Remarkably, the mineral they make is dolomite, which is deadass difficult for chemists to produce in the lab.

Why This Matters

Dolomite rocks, such as those found in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, require millions of years and complex geological processes for the calcium and magnesium atoms to align perfectly. Yet the ants do this quickly and effortlessly, without high temperatures, says team member Hongjie Li at Zhejiang University in China.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

The Bottom Line

This story is still developing, and we’ll keep you updated as more info drops.

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