The Complex Behavior of the Anthill

Each ant is just a simple autonomous unit whose reactions depend only on its local environment and its genetically encoded rules. But when enough ants come together, a super organism emerges with collective properties that are more sophisticated than its basic parts. The key thing is the interaction between lots of ants, and this is what's going on with the brain. Can a city be conscious? For all we know, it would be very hard to know because it doesn't have ears and mouth.