2006-06-23 07:40:18 · 13 answers · asked by ♪ Tony's girl ♪ 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Ants do not have feelings. Science has verified by functional MRI and earlier brain ablation studies, that "feelings" originate from distinct locations in the vertebrate brain. It is known that ants do not have a centralized nervous system (aka: a brain). Instead of a brain, they (along with other arthropods like spiders, scorpions, crabs and lobsters, for example) possess clumps of ganglia (a collection of neuronal cell bodies) which are distributed down the length of their bodies which integrate neuronal feedback from external receptors (chemoreceptors, for example, on their antennae). They can communicate to other ants by chemical signals and can see light because they have photoreceptors within their compound eyes. These signals get processed by the closest ganglia, and this is the extent of their neuronal function. The mammalian brain, on the other hand, sends all of its signals to one distinct location- the brain- where they get processed and thus we have what we call thoughts and feelings. Insects have a very primitive, less evolved nervous system than that of mammals, though. Since they lack the physical machinery where thoughts/feelings originate from, they physically cannot produce thoughts/feelings, therefore.
2006-06-23 08:11:39 · answer #1 · answered by Girl Biologist 2 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I dont know, but I do know they have high hopes!
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he can move a rubber tree plant
Everyone knows an ant
can't
move a rubber tree plant
But he's got Hiiiggghh hopes
yadda yadda
2006-06-23 07:44:14 · answer #2 · answered by Mike C 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They feel pain just like you and I well not exactly but you know what I mean. I stepped on a ant before(well a couple) and it was still alive and it tryed to put a end to its misery by trying to sting itself to death with its stinger.
2006-06-23 07:43:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! So don't belittle ants. You could permanently emotionally scar them. Then they would become postal ants.
2006-06-23 07:46:42 · answer #4 · answered by quantumrocket 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not after you step on them - in fact I have a pretty good joke...
thes elephant was stomping about like he usually does day in and day out... one day he happens to step on an ant hill and one little tiny ant managed to crawl up his leg and was on top of him...when his little buddy ants saw where he was, they began to yell in desparation, "choke him!"
2006-06-23 07:51:25 · answer #5 · answered by Tu Papi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm not an ant so i wouldn't know.
2006-06-23 07:43:33 · answer #6 · answered by tatiana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hope not. I killed about 100 of them last night as they were attacking my legs at a swim meet.
2006-06-23 07:43:15 · answer #7 · answered by WiserAngel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have feelers. Perhaps they feel around for feelings?
2006-06-23 07:43:54 · answer #8 · answered by ishotvoltron 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all living things have feelings.
2006-06-23 07:44:21 · answer #9 · answered by lomatar1186 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i hope so, otherwise i wasted alot of time as a kid
2006-06-23 07:44:26 · answer #10 · answered by chrissabolich 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋