Comment by amatecha

I mean, I feel like the wording "retain memories" might imply a greater degree of consciousness/agency than what was actually observed. The "memory" appears to be some completely tangible phenomenon, as per their comparison of trees "retaining memory" in the form of a tree growing bark around where a branch broke off. "Ants use the rate at which they meet and smell other ants, or the chemicals deposited by other ants, to decide what to do next." , etc. That said, it's still pretty interesting, and I think we can make some comparisons about how humans share knowledge/experience and what kind of tangible markers we use as cues for our own behaviour.