I was in Costa Rica for 15 days in November and among the many things that caused me to pause and wonder, the leaf-cutter ants really left me lingering. Next to humans, they form the largest and most complex animal societies on Earth, and I think it's time we stop and learn something from them. 

These ants march (insert song here) tirelessly from tree to colony carrying pieces of leaves sometimes 10 times (or more!) their body weight. Without a watchful eye, they can go unnoticed. But once one catches your eye and you crouch down to observe them, they're absolutely captivating!

Lesson number one: perspective changes everything. They navigate what appears to be a complicated interstate highway system to get back to their nests. And once there, the unexpected occurs: they don't eat the leaves! 

Lesson number two: don't judge a book by its cover. The leaves are instead brought to an area in the nest where others chew them to a paste that becomes dinner for a cultivated fungus. The fungus then serves as the ant's sole food source. The ant/fungus relationship is perhaps one of the best examples of mutualism that exists. Biologist E.O. Wilson says "There's another force [besides predation] equally important and responsible for the buildup of a great deal of the magnificent superstructure of the Earth's biodiversity. And that is cooperation, what we call symbiosis, and particularly mutualistic symbiosis, that is intimate living together of different kinds of organisms in which there's a partnership which benefits both of the partners." 

Lesson number three: to survive, to thrive, and to evolve as a species, cooperation is key. But wait, that's not all! There is a third party at play in this special relationship and that's bacteria. The health of the fungus garden, or ant pantry, is always in jeopardy of being contaminated by molds or other diseases. To ward off these invaders, the ants produce a bacteria. This bacteria serves as an antibiotic killing any diseases threatening their food source. As the threats evolve, so does the bacteria in response. 

Lesson number four: there will be hurdles in achieving cooperation, but we must press on and become better because of them. And just when you're ready to continue your leisurely walk in the rainforest, you learn that simply by observing these ants, we're getting ideas of how to create cleaner replacements for petroleum using biofuels and how to create new antibiotics for human use. Amazing. 

Lesson number five: go to nature for ideas, for inspiration, for creativity, for hope.