(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Logo: TVO Kids News.

Daniel walks in the studio.

Daniel is in his twenties, with short curly brown hair and wears glasses, jeans, and a burgundy and white TVO Kids hooded sweatshirt.

He says WELCOME BACK TO
TVOK NEWS.
NOW, THE OLDEST LIVING
STRUCTURE MADE BY INSECTS
HAS JUST BEEN DISCOVERED.

On a screen behind him appears a picture of termite mounds with the caption "Ancient termites?"

Daniel cringes and says THAT'S RIGHT, A NETWORK OF MORE
THAN 200 MILLION TERMITE MOUNDS
HAS BEEN FOUND BY A
RESEARCH TEAM IN BRAZIL.
STEVEN MARTIN,
A SOCIAL ENTOMOGIST,
AKA AN "INSECT SCIENTIST,"
ALONG WITH HIS TEAM, STARTED
FINDING THESE MOUNDS IN 2004.
THEY WERE FOUND IN A REMOTE
FOREST IN NORTH-EASTERN BRAZIL,
AND STRETCHES ACROSS AN AREA THE
SIZE OF GREAT BRITAIN.
THEY CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE!
NOW, EACH MOUND IS ABOUT
THREE METRE HIGH,
AND SIX METRES WIDE
AT ITS BASE.
EACH HAS A SMALL VERTICAL
SHAFT THAT ALLOWS A
TERMITE TO MOVE FROM THE
SURFACE OF THE EARTH,
DOWN TO THE NETWORK OF TUNNELS.
THESE UNDERGROUND TUNNELS ARE
BELIEVED TO BE ABOUT
4,000 YEARS OLD.
BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY ASKING,
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
SO WHAT IF THEY
HAVE A BIG NETWORK,
THAT'S JUST HOW TERMITES ROLL.
YOU'RE RIGHT!
BUT SCIENTISTS ARE VERY
INTERESTED IN THE
DISCOVERY FOR MANY REASON.
ROBOTICS EXPERTS WANT TO KNOW
HOW TERMITE COLLABORATION
CAN HELP DESIGN FUTURE
ROBOT TECHNOLOGY.
ENGINEERS WILL STUDY THE
VENTILATION SYSTEMS
OF THE MOUNDS, AS THEY KEEP
TERMITES COOL DURING THE DAY,
AND WARM AT NIGHT.
THIS COULD HELD BUILDINGS
MADE FOR HUMANS.
NOW THESE INSECTS
ARE SUPER COOL!
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT OTHER
THINGS WE CAN LEARN
FROM THESE MOUNDS.
NOW STAY TUNED, BECAUSE THE
TVOK
FEATURE IS COMING UP NEXT.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Logo: TVO Kids News.