22 Na imaging experiment. ( A ) Food source (30% sucrose solution with 22 Na) and one ant in a feeding container. ( B ) PETIS imaging experimental setup. ( C ) Snapshot images of the PETIS animation at 0, 10, 40 and 160 min. Credit: Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-36930-3"> Schematic diagram of the 22 Na imaging experiment. ( A ) Food source (30% sucrose solution with 22 Na) and one ant in a feeding container. ( B ) PETIS imaging experimental setup. ( C ) Snapshot images of the PETIS animation at 0, 10, 40 and 160 min. Credit: Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-36930-3

Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and the University of the Ryukyus have developed a new imaging method that makes it possible to see, in real time, how food is distributed and exchanged inside groups of ants.…