Browsing the May 2007 issue of Outdoor Life I see they have a short survival section. Among the generally useful tips is one that I found a bit odd, and another that I think might be dangerous.

First, in the section entitled "Animal ER" they suggest using ants to suture a wound by allowing them to bite both sides of a cut and then breaking off the bodies, leaving the heads still attached. I'm thinking that, unless they are giant ants from the planet Rhemuloid, it would not be very practical. It is interesting though, and I'm wondering if anyone has ever heard of doing this.

And included in their "Uses for Urine" section is the suggestion that since urine is 95% water you should drink it to survive, claiming that doing so "could save your life on a desert hike." The last I heard the drinking of urine, particularly by an already-dehydrated person, was akin to drinking seawater. It brings about even more dehydration, and hastens madness and death. Nothing is mentioned about filtering or processing. Have I missed some recent studies on the subject that would suggest otherwise, or is this still really, really bad advice?

In the SAS-handbook there's a suggestion on using ants as a suture. But it only works with specific ants (with large jaws.)

Never, never drink urine without destilling it!!

I'm skeptical about both of those suggestions.

There is a 'classic' survival book called HOW TO STAY ALIVE IN THE WOODS by Bradford Angier.It is classic, as an example of fossilised, often erroneous and untested information. Angier merely collected anecdotal information from many sources. Outdoor Life is 'doing an Angier' here. Somebody on their staff will pick up a paycheck friday. Somebody somewhere may get lost Friday and die from misinformation. You DON'T drink unfiltered urine. If your in tropical climes you CAN use ants as sutures, hopefully not from OUTDOOR LIFE papercuts.

Ants work wonderfully. The formic acid burns like hell, but it isn't strong enough to kill very much tissue, but seems to have an antiseptic effect. The only problem is they leave a really interesting looking scar. It's almost like a cross between a suture and a staple from what I've learned about them.

My grandfather had a wonderful "reminder of a stupid moment" on his arm where he did this/had it done while in Liberia.

Oh please someone has to email Bear Grylls that gem of survival information just for a laugh!!

I believe the ants in question would probably be either African driver ants or South American marabunta ants (both have large jaws, and I have heard that small numbers of driver ants have been used in this fashion in the past).

I wonder if they'll print a retraction next month? I can see a greenhorn reading this, being stuck in the Arizona desert, and running out of water. After drinking some urine he decides to put some fire ants on his leg wound.

I've heard ants make a pretty good survival food (never been hard up enough to actually try one but they say they are pretty sweet.) Might as well eat the bodies as throw them away!