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"Aside from being one of the most annoying and infuriating creatures on the planet, fire ants can be pretty cool. They have incredible strength and move very cohesively as a group, which has garnered recent attention from physicists.

"A group from the Georgia Institute of Technology put together a video presentation for last month’s American Physical Society meeting. In it, groups of fire ants were shown to be able to flow through a funnel like a thick, syrupy liquid. They were also able to be pressed down and rebound like a rubbery solid.

"More than just a parlor trick, studying how the ants move within the group could help the field of robotics by allowing small pieces to self-assemble into larger structures. Because a disturbed group of ants can also quickly return to their position, they could also influence the next generation of self-healing materials."

Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n ScienceTake: They can flow like a liquid and bounce back like a solid. Masses of fire ants show a duality that intrigues physicists. Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/1i1XkfJ Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n Watch more videos at: http://nytimes.com/video ------------------------------------------------------------- Want more from The New York Times?