Editing Termite (section)

===In science and technology===
{{See also|Renewable energy|Termite-inspired robots|Sustainable architecture}}
The termite gut has inspired various research efforts aimed at replacing [[fossil fuels]] with cleaner, renewable energy sources.<ref name=doeinstitute/> Termites are efficient [[bioreactor]]s, theoretically capable of producing two litres of [[hydrogen]] from a single sheet of paper.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hirschler|first1=B.|title=Termites' gut reaction set for biofuels|url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007/11/22/2097855.htm|access-date=8 January 2015|work=ABC News|date=22 November 2007}}</ref> Approximately 200 species of microbes live inside the termite hindgut, releasing the hydrogen that was trapped inside wood and plants that they digest.<ref name=doeinstitute>{{cite web|title=Termite Power |url=http://www.jgi.doe.gov/education/bioenergy/bioenergy_4.html |publisher=United States Department of Energy |access-date=11 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922180946/http://www.jgi.doe.gov/education/bioenergy/bioenergy_4.html|archive-date=22 September 2006 |date=14 August 2006 |work=DOE Joint Genome Institute |url-status=unfit }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Roach|first1=J.|title=Termite Power: Can Pests' Guts Create New Fuel?|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0314_060314_termite.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316155632/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0314_060314_termite.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 16, 2006|access-date=11 September 2015|work=National Geographic News|date=14 March 2006}}</ref> Through the action of unidentified enzymes in the termite gut, [[lignocellulose]] [[polymer]]s are broken down into sugars and are transformed into hydrogen. The bacteria within the gut turns the sugar and hydrogen into [[cellulose acetate]], an [[acetate]] [[ester]] of cellulose on which termites rely for energy.<ref name=doeinstitute/> [[Microbiota#Metagenomic sequencing|Community DNA sequencing]] of the microbes in the termite hindgut has been employed to provide a better understanding of the [[metabolic pathway]].<ref name=doeinstitute/> Genetic engineering may enable hydrogen to be generated in bioreactors from woody biomass.<ref name=doeinstitute/>

The development of [[autonomous robot]]s capable of constructing intricate structures without human assistance has been inspired by the complex mounds that termites build.<ref name=Terminspired>{{cite journal |last1=Werfel|first1=J.|last2=Petersen|first2=K.|last3=Nagpal|first3=R. |title=Designing Collective Behavior in a Termite-Inspired Robot Construction Team |journal=Science|date=2014|volume=343|issue=6172|pages=754–758|doi=10.1126/science.1245842|pmid=24531967|bibcode= 2014Sci...343..754W|s2cid=38776920}}</ref> These robots work independently and can move by themselves on a tracked grid, capable of climbing and lifting up bricks. Such robots may be useful for future projects on Mars, or for building [[levee]]s to prevent flooding.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gibney|first1=E.|title=Termite-inspired robots build castles|journal=Nature|date=2014|doi=10.1038/nature.2014.14713|s2cid=112117767|url=http://www.nature.com/news/termite-inspired-robots-build-castles-1.14713}}</ref>

Termites use sophisticated means to control the temperatures of their mounds. [[#Mounds|As discussed above]], the shape and orientation of the mounds of the Australian compass termite stabilises their internal temperatures during the day. As the towers heat up, the [[solar chimney]] effect ([[stack effect]]) creates an updraft of air within the mound.<ref name=AAK2013>{{cite web|title=Termites Green Architecture in the Tropics|url=http://www.thearchitectmagazine.com/termites-green-architecture-in-the-tropics/|website=The Architect|publisher=Architectural Association of Kenya|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-date=22 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322132820/http://www.thearchitectmagazine.com/termites-green-architecture-in-the-tropics/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Wind blowing across the tops of the towers enhances the circulation of air through the mounds, which also include side vents in their construction. The solar chimney effect has been in use for centuries in the [[Middle East]] and [[Near East]] for passive cooling, as well as in Europe by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tan|first1=A.|last2=Wong|first2=N.|title=Parameterization Studies of Solar Chimneys in the Tropics|journal=Energies|date=2013|volume=6|issue=1|pages=145–163|doi=10.3390/en6010145|doi-access=free}}</ref> It is only relatively recently, however, that climate responsive construction techniques have become incorporated into modern architecture. Especially in Africa, the stack effect has become a popular means to achieve natural ventilation and passive cooling in modern buildings.<ref name=AAK2013/>