Let the Ants Try

"Let the Ants Try" by Frederik Pohl is a science fiction story set after a terrible war, focusing on Dr. Salva Gordy, a scientist who survives the disaster and finds strange, changed ants. The story looks at survival, what happens because of what people do, and the idea of trying to control nature as Gordy thinks about what he should do with the future of humans. Gordy, who lost his family in the war, meets John de Terry, who also lost everything. Together, they use a time machine Gordy made before to go back to a very old Earth. There, they let loose the changed ants, hoping they will grow and do well. Sadly, their plan goes wrong when they face the ants that have evolved to become smart and dangerous. The story shows the unpleasant truth of what they did, and Gordy understands the terrible results of messing with nature, as well as the fact that humans are no longer on top. It acts as a warning about the arrogance of people trying to create and the unexpected problems that come from scientific meddling.