Ants Outperform Humans in Maze Maneuvering Study, Proving Superior Group Smarts

A study from the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed that ants exhibit superior collective intelligence compared to humans when maneuvering a large object through a maze.

The research, led by Prof. Ofer Feinerman, challenges previous assumptions about the cognitive abilities of humans and highlights the remarkable efficiency of ants in group tasks.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explored how ants and humans perform when tasked with moving a large T-shaped object through a maze.

Known as the “piano movers puzzle,” this challenge is a robotics problem used to simulate the maneuvering of unusually shaped objects in complex environments.

For the study, researchers replaced the piano with a large T-shaped object, testing both ants and humans in two separate mazes: one designed for ants and the other for humans.

“We wanted to see how both species performed individually and in groups,” Prof. Feinerman explained. “What we discovered is that while humans have cognitive advantages when working alone, ants, when working in groups, outperform human groups in terms of efficiency and strategic movement.”

The maze was divided into three chambers, connected by narrow slits. Humans and ants were given the task of moving the T-shaped object across the space, with humans participating in three different group sizes: individually, in small groups of six to nine people, and in larger groups of 26. Similarly, ants worked independently, in groups of seven, and in large colonies of about 80 ants.

Interestingly, the study also examined the effects of communication on performance. Human participants were instructed to avoid verbal or gestural communication during some trials, donning surgical masks and sunglasses to restrict their ability to communicate.

Ants, known for using pheromones to communicate with each other, were also prevented from utilizing this form of communication in the experiment.

The results revealed stark differences in group dynamics. While individual humans performed better than groups, the ants showed significant improvement when working in groups.

In fact, the larger the ant group, the more efficient they became at moving the object through the maze. Ants were found to cooperate in a “calculated and strategic manner,” exhibiting collective memory that allowed them to avoid repeating mistakes.

In contrast, human groups struggled to collaborate effectively, particularly when communication was restricted. Instead of planning strategically, they often opted for short-term solutions that were ultimately less effective.

The study found that the performance of humans working together did not significantly improve compared to when they worked individually.

“The key to ant success lies in their ability to cooperate as a collective,” said Prof. Feinerman. “An ant colony functions like a super-organism, where the cooperation of individual ants outweighs competition, allowing them to accomplish tasks more efficiently than humans in similar scenarios.”

The research team also noted that while ants’ collective behavior is highly coordinated, human cooperation can be hindered by a lack of clear communication and conflicting individual strategies.

Despite these challenges, the team of scientists, including Dr. Ehud Fonio, Prof. Nir Gov, and others, successfully collaborated to conduct the study.

This fascinating discovery underscores the remarkable efficiency of ants in group tasks and raises new questions about the nature of cooperation and collective intelligence in both humans and other species.