Monday, January 18, 2010

E O Wilson's "Trailhead" (short story, hard sf, free): Life-cycle of a colony of ants

Photograph by Jason Edwards of National Geographic, used to illustrate the short story Trailhead by E O Wilson in The New Yorker dated 25 January 2010I'm not qualified to judge its technical accuracy, & may be it reads like a documentary, but very beautiful.

The life cycle of the Trailhead Colony of ants - from the first flight (from the nest of its birth) of the young female ant that would eventually become Trailhead Queen, her mating, her founding of the colony, its initial nurturing, its growth, & final decay following the death of the queen 20 years later.

See also.

  1. Alice Sheldon's "Love is the Plan the Plan is Death" (download): A Hugo & Nebula award winner that's also about insect-inspired life, though far more colorful.

Fact sheet.

First published: The New Yorker, 25 January 2010.
Download full text from publisher's site.
Rating: A.
Added to my "best of 2010" list.
Related: Ants in fiction (& some non-fiction).

2 comments:

LarryS said...

This is fiction?? E.O.Wilson is one of the greatest of naturalists- a big name in natural science.

Tinkoo said...

Larry:
"E.O.Wilson is one of the greatest of naturalists- a big name in natural science.": I'd not even heard his name, but a Google search after your comment checks. It probably means descriptions are technically accurate. Thanks.

"This is fiction??": It is, even if it's written in the style of a documentary. Also see the linked publisher's page that clearly labels it fiction.