One More Reason Why I’m Glad I’m Not An Ant
From the New York Review:
“Some ant species do not have queen ants in the strict sense. Instead, worker ants (which are all female) that have mated with a male ant become the dominant reproductive individuals. These are the gamergates, or “married workers,” and their sex life can be brutal. In one species the gamergates venture outside of the nest to attract a male, engage him in copulation, then carry him into the nest before snipping off his genitals and throwing away the rest of his body. The severed genitals continue to inseminate the gamergate for up to an hour, after which they too are discarded.”
I really wonder whether the argument from design would have survived a close acquaintance with the habits of insects around the world. This arrangement, at least, does not make the idea of a benevolent deity leap to mind.
