A new study reported across multiple outlets says ants became globally successful in part by evolving “squishability”: many lineages reduced investment in thick, protective exoskeleton cuticles, which lowered per-ant resource demands and helped support larger, more complex colonies. The reporting describes a tradeoff between individual durability and collective power, where colonies can thrive even if single ants are less well-protected. Authors and coverage note this helps explain how insect societies can scale up—because some tasks and protections shift from the individual to the group.

Highlights:

• Cuticle economics: Popular Science notes ant cuticles provide protection and muscle support but are nutrient-expensive to build and maintain, including elements like nitrogen and minerals—so thinner cuticles can reduce each ant’s “cost” and ease colony growth limits.
• Earth-scale abundance: Popular Science highlights an estimate of roughly 20 quadrillion ants worldwide, underscoring why small changes in per-ant investment can matter at planetary scale.
• Evolutionary framing: Phys.org describes the work as an evolutionary version of a quantity-vs-quality dilemma, arguing that selection can favor more individuals even when each one is less robust.
• Why it matters: Discover Magazine emphasizes that the findings offer a window into how complex societies evolve, with collective organization compensating for reduced individual protection.
• “Meek” metaphor: The New York Times frames the results as a biological explanation for how ants became so widespread—suggesting their dominance may be “skin deep,” tied to exoskeleton traits rather than individual might.

Perspectives:

• Arthur Matte (University of Cambridge, co-author): Matte told Popular Science that ants’ ubiquity motivates the work, while stressing that the strategies enabling massive colonies and diversification have been unclear. (Popular Science)
• Evan Economo (University of Maryland, co-author): Economo told Popular Science that as societies grow more complex, individuals can become simpler because the collective can handle tasks a solitary organism would need to do alone. (Popular Science)
• Science news writers (multiple outlets): Across coverage, writers interpret the same core result as a classic tradeoff: reduced individual “armor” can be offset by colony-level defenses and workforce size, making the society more competitive overall. (Phys.org)

Sources:

• Ants Make Individuals Weaker to Build Bigger Societies - discovermagazine.com
• Ant societies rose by trading individual protection for collective power—the evolution of 'squishability' - phys.org
• Weak ants conquered Earth using sheer numbers - popsci.com
• Ants Traded Strength for Numbers and It Worked - scitechdaily.com
• The Meek Really Did Inherit the Earth, at Least Among Ants - nytimes.com
• The evolution of expendability: Why some ants traded armor for numbers - Ars Technica - google.com