Can Ants Lift Fifty Times Their Own Weight? Science Fiction

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Welcome to Science Fiction,

the show which scratches at the darkest corners of science...

And attempts to flood them with light.

BUD E, tell us what's on the roster today.

Wargh! Argh! Today's question is from Joel in Seoul.

That's a load of rubbish, Joel. I have an aunt in Dublin.

-She's as weak as water.

-No, silly, the insects!

Ants live in well-organised communities, or colonies.

Within each colony, there's a queen, a male ant,

and worker ants who do most of the actual labour -

hunting, building, looking after the queen.

Ironing the underpants, making the lunches, Hoovering.

Sure, you'd never be finished.

Ah, but really, Doctor, can they lift 50 times their own weight?

That'd be like me trying to lift a bus.

Well, here's the thing, Professor.

Ants' muscles aren't actually any stronger than ours.

It's all to do with their size.

Oh, go on. I'm all ears.

Basically, the smaller the creature,

the more it will be able to lift, relative to its own size.

It's all about the physics.

So, like, a tiny ant could lift a load of other ants,

but an elephant couldn't lift another elephant,

is that what you mean?

Exactly. And we could do the same if we were that small.

-That's brilliant, that is!

-So there you have it, Joel.

The ant can, indeed, lift 50 times its own weight.

And that's no science fiction, that's a fact. Bye!

Dr Knowles, did you ever get ants in your pants?

I did once when I was in France.

Purely by chance. Ha-ha!

It was fierce itchy, all the same.