Not a biologist, but my impression is that in some of ways, individual ants behave more like cells in a multi-celled organism than individual animals. The hive is the organism. (The analogy is certainly not perfect.)
Considering that, I don't find this paradoxical at all, still very fascinating. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong, but I think cancer also in some sense helps the individual cell at the cost of the organism. For example, cancers induce the formation of cappilaries to get more nutrients -- not so dissimilar from these infected ants inducing other ants to feed them.
Considering that, I don't find this paradoxical at all, still very fascinating. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong, but I think cancer also in some sense helps the individual cell at the cost of the organism. For example, cancers induce the formation of cappilaries to get more nutrients -- not so dissimilar from these infected ants inducing other ants to feed them.