Latest news with #DavidTodd
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Texans shaken as thousands of fire ants seen forming rafts on river using their bodies
This army is in formation. Thousands of fire ants have been spotted floating on floodwaters through the Texas city and forming rafts using their bodies with residents now reporting the gross behavior. KXAN Austin took to X to post a video taken by Austinite David Todd of the little critters, seen nestled into a large cluster in the waters of Lake Travis. X users weighed in on the scary sight. 'A floating ball of pure hate,' one observed. 'I've done more than seen them. I've run into them at night wading out to the ramp on my dock when the lake is rapidly rising,' another wrote. 'Sucks.' 'Bring out the torch,' someone else suggested. The pesky bugs, which can cause painful stings, are rife in Texas. But when their underground nests flood, they sink their teeth into each other, interlock their limbs and create rafts to stay alive. 'It's called a self-organizing or self-assembling process. And it's something only social insects do,' Ed LeBrun, a research scientist at the University of Texas' Brackenridge Field Lab, told the outlet. 'There are a lot of other structures that ants make in a similar way. For example, army ants will make bridges across rivers.' Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Texans shaken as thousands of fire ants seen forming rafts on river using their bodies
This army is in formation. Thousands of fire ants have been spotted floating on floodwaters through the Texas city and forming rafts using their bodies with residents now reporting the gross behavior. KXAN Austin took to X to post a video taken by Austinite David Todd of the little critters, seen nestled into a large cluster in the waters of Lake Travis. Advertisement X users weighed in on the scary sight. 'A floating ball of pure hate,' one observed. Advertisement 'I've done more than seen them. I've run into them at night wading out to the ramp on my dock when the lake is rapidly rising,' another wrote. 'Sucks.' 'Bring out the torch,' someone else suggested. Fire ants are forming rafts out of their own bodies in Texas floodwaters. KXAN The pesky bugs, which can cause painful stings, are rife in Texas. But when their underground nests flood, they sink their teeth into each other, interlock their limbs and create rafts to stay alive. Advertisement 'It's called a self-organizing or self-assembling process. And it's something only social insects do,' Ed LeBrun, a research scientist at the University of Texas' Brackenridge Field Lab, told the outlet. 'There are a lot of other structures that ants make in a similar way. For example, army ants will make bridges across rivers.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
A massive raft of fire ants found on Austin's Lake Travis
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Residents of Texas's capital are reporting fire ants floating on floodwaters, forming living rafts out of their own bodies. On Wednesday morning, one Austinite shared video of one such raft drifting on Lake Travis. Texas woman starts AI awareness series after seeing fake photos of Texas floods shared online When their underground nests flood, fire ants link their legs and jaws together to create buoyant, self-assembled mounds. These floating colonies can contain thousands of ants — and they can still bite or sting if disturbed. Fire ants are widespread in Texas, and researchers at Texas A&M University are studying how they respond to flooding. The insects bite one another and interlock their limbs, forming tightly packed rafts that don't sink. Their waxy skin helps repel water and keep the group afloat, as seen in the video from David Todd, a viewer of Nexstar's KXAN: 'It's called a self-organizing or self-assembling process. And it's something only social insects do,' Ed LeBrun, a research scientist at the University of Texas' Brackenridge Field Lab in central Austin, said. 'There are a lot of other structures that ants make in a similar way. For example, army ants will make bridges across rivers,' LeBrun added. Creating a 'raft,' however, is more rare in the ant world: Fire ants are the only kind that do this, according to LeBrun. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
3 days ago
- Science
- The Hill
A massive raft of fire ants found on Austin's Lake Travis
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Residents of Texas's capital are reporting fire ants floating on floodwaters, forming living rafts out of their own bodies. On Wednesday morning, one Austinite shared video of one such raft drifting on Lake Travis. Texas woman starts AI awareness series after seeing fake photos of Texas floods shared online When their underground nests flood, fire ants link their legs and jaws together to create buoyant, self-assembled mounds. These floating colonies can contain thousands of ants — and they can still bite or sting if disturbed. Fire ants are widespread in Texas, and researchers at Texas A&M University are studying how they respond to flooding. The insects bite one another and interlock their limbs, forming tightly packed rafts that don't sink. Their waxy skin helps repel water and keep the group afloat, as seen in the video from David Todd, a viewer of Nexstar's KXAN: 'It's called a self-organizing or self-assembling process. And it's something only social insects do,' Ed LeBrun, a research scientist at the University of Texas' Brackenridge Field Lab in central Austin, said. 'There are a lot of other structures that ants make in a similar way. For example, army ants will make bridges across rivers,' LeBrun added. Creating a 'raft,' however, is more rare in the ant world: Fire ants are the only kind that do this, according to LeBrun.
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Reports reveal ‘significant harm' caused by UK's family visa rules
British citizens are facing significant challenges due to the UK's family visa rules, particularly the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR). David Todd, a British father-to-be, says he feels "completely helpless" and like a "second-class citizen" because his American wife's income cannot be counted towards the threshold. New reports from charities Reunite Families UK and Coram detail the "significant emotional and psychological harm" inflicted by the policy, including long-term separation of children from parents and discrimination against certain groups. The Migration Advisory Committee recently reviewed the MIR, warning against raising it to the higher skilled worker threshold of £38,700. Advocates are urging the government to reform the system by abolishing or reducing the MIR, simplifying application processes, and allowing spouses' incomes to contribute to the requirement to prevent family separation.
