Consider the ant and be wise – what can humans learn from ants?

Noa Pinter-Wollman Professor / UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Computational and Systems Biology /UCLA

Ants form incredibly successful social systems. Over millions of years they have evolved the ability to construct intricate nests, cultivate crops, build bridges and rafts, and herd other animals; just to name a few exciting collective behaviors that ants accomplish. Inspired by ant behavior, humans have developed new computer algorithms, building architectures, and robot swarms. In my talk, I will survey the fascinating ways in which ant societies operate and the exciting lessons that we, humans, can learn from them.

Recommended grade level: 3rd-5th