How ants can culture antibiotics

Available for over a year

Leafcutter ants do not eat the leaf sections they carve from plants, but transport the material underground where it decays and forms a garden of fungus. To protect this food source from unwanted microbes and parasites and to regulate the growth of the fungus, the ants also cultivate antibiotic-producing bacteria on their own bodies. Picture: Leafcutter ants carry leaves back to their nest. Credit: Getty Images