Trait recognition with Antscan reveals prevalence of biomineral armor

An example of research using the Antscan database. A large-scale screening of the datasets revealed that biomineral armor, which was previously only found in one species of leaf-cutter ants, was present in a host of fungus-growing ant species. A simple computational trait recognition algorithm was used to detect the thin, white outlines of exoskeletons (seen on the right), which indicate a highly reflective material — minerals. These findings could lead to further insights into the emergence of biomineral armor and its evolution across species.