Ants have a pretty powerful bite – chewing through tough leaves with ease – despite their teeth being thinner than a strand of human hair!
Scientists studied how the insects’ teeth work so they can design machinery to make tiny parts for tech like smartphones.
Researchers at the University of Oregon looked at the teeth under powerful microscopes and found that zinc atoms (tiny particles) were evenly spread around the ants’ teeth, unlike human teeth where they are found in ‘clumps’.
Evenly spaced zinc atoms mean that ants’ teeth can cut through things efficiently – saving energy and protecting them from damage.
