Hello folks who sometimes wonder what are the same people who were protesting to free Britney doing these days,

"Quitting is for losers" is what Instagram has taught me. And that I think is solid advice, but you need to judge which scenarios it need not apply. For example, after going to the gym for first 2 days of the year, if you want to quit because your muscles are sore, maybe quitting is a bad idea. Conversely, if you have already lost $10k in the casino and you think playing two more games will give you an opportunity to win it all back and some, maybe quitting is the best option at that point.

Insects are not the brightest bulb in the room, won't you agree? For people who want to debate me, here's my challenge for insects to redeem themselves, tell me which side they are on? Team Johnny Depp or Team Amber Heard? Chances are they are not even following the trial which in my opinion is the most important event to take place in the Anthropocene Era, monitored closely by the brightest minds on this planet since it is key to our survival.

Insect behaviors are dictated by their genes. They are genetically programmed to keep on doing one task without quitting even if it means using up all its energy and not getting to live another day.

This was evident when I stumbled across this group of Harvester Ants hauling seeds back to their colony.

So, I decided to pick one stork's bill seed (Learn why these seeds are so fascinating in this post) that one worker ant was carrying and see what the ant does next. And just like I had predicted, it did not give up on the seed. Because going back with an empty mouth (their equivalent of empty handed) is not regarded well among their circles.

This strategy goes out of the window when they are carrying something using their mandibles. I found that out during a recent BioBlitz in Redwood City when I lifted a concrete patio stone. You can see panic sets in the Pavement Ant colony and they start evacuating the helpless pupae and larvae from the exposed chambers.

That is when I swoop in for the kill. I catch one worker pavement ant that is carrying the larva and pin it by its leg. Now, you would think any sensible ant worth its weight in salt would throw the helpless dumb larva aside and then attack my finger to save its own life. But instead, it keeps the larva held in its mandible and makes a feeble attempt to dislodge its leg. At that point you can tell it is so focused on making sure it does not bring shame to the colony by dropping the larva than being selfish about its hopes and dreams.