A 25-year-long study published in GEOLOGY on 14 July
provides the first quantitative measurement of in situ calcium-magnesium
silicate mineral dissolution by ants, termites, tree roots, and bare ground.
This study reveals that ants are one of the most powerful biological agents of
mineral decay yet observed. It may be that an understanding of the geobiology
of ant-mineral interactions might offer a line of research on how to
"geoengineer" accelerated CO2 consumption by Ca-Mg silicates.