Termites act as tiny miners, lead humans to gold

Termites collect particles of precious metals such as gold when they are burrowing and then stockpile them in their mounds, often indicating a larger deposit underneath.

A study published in PLoS One and Chemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis found that termite mounds in West Australian goldfields contained high concentrations of gold. This means that the insects can be used to help humans find gold and other mineral deposits.

Aaron Stewart, an entomologist from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), said: "We're using insects to help find new gold and other mineral deposits. These resources are becoming increasingly hard to find because much of the Australian landscape is covered by a layer of eroded material that masks what's going on deeper underground."