logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
4m 34s

These Ants Are Probably Better at Naviga...

Scientific American
About this episode
Desert ants living in the featureless salt plains of Tunisia count their steps and erect tall entrances at their nests to find their way back home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
Up next
Yesterday
The hackers fighting to keep our water safe
Across the U.S., the digital infrastructure that runs our utilities is quickly aging, becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Recently at least a dozen states reported attacks on their water systems. Stepping up to defend these utilities is DEF CON Franklin, an organization th ... Show More
15m 29s
Aug 31
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches
In this episode of Science Quickly, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope begins its mission to probe dark energy, hunt for distant worlds and map the cosmos in unprecedented detail. The mission’s senior project scientist Julie McEnery explains why astronomers are so excited a ... Show More
14m 26s
Aug 28
Is Trump abandoning endangered species?
In July the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced changes to how key parts of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will be implemented, including a new definition of what it means to “harm” an endangered species. To discuss the history of the ESA, the impact its made on at-risk wi ... Show More
19m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
These Ants Are Probably Better at Navigating Than You Are
Desert ants living in the featureless salt plains of Tunisia count their steps and erect tall entrances at their nests to find their way back home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
4m 34s
Jan 2022
Do ants make traps?
The trap is insidious. But of course it is. It was designed and executed… by ants? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the ant wars continue as Robert and Joe explore some of the possibility that a few formidable Formicidae species actually lay traps. Learn more about you ... Show More
59m 12s
Feb 2011
Are you smarter than an ant swarm?
<p>A single ant might not be Mensa material, but a colony of ants can produce some amazingly clever decisions. Tune in as Robert and Julie explore the study of swarm intelligence -- and how it compares to human intelligence.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href ... Show More
25m 57s
Mar 2022
Tooth and Claw: Army ant
The army ant might be small enough to squash under foot but, make no mistake, it’s a formidable predator. When they club together in their thousands they are a force to be reckoned with. Picture a tiger, comprised of hundreds of thousands of tiny ant-sized units, prowling through ... Show More
27m 4s
Jul 2024
From the Vault: Do ants make traps?
The trap is insidious. But of course it is. It was designed and executed… by ants? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the ant wars continue as Robert and Joe explore some of the possibility that a few formidable Formicidae species actually lay traps. (originally publishe ... Show More
59m 43s
May 2018
Crazy Ants and Electricity
Do crazy ants crave electronics? Do they feast on that sweet, sweet juice? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick dispel some myths and explore the science of this particular insect invader. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheart ... Show More
47m 34s
Sep 2019
Ant and networks
How road, subway and computer systems could be helped by trails created by turtle ants. For extra information about all episodes, visit: www.bbcworldservice.com/30animals #30Animals 
15m 4s
Oct 2019
Odd Bird Migrates Twice to Breed
The phainopepla migrates from southern California to the desert Southwest to breed in the spring before flying to California coastal woodlands to do so again in summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
4m 10s
Jun 2019
Stenocara beetle and water collector
It performs headstands in a desert; now this beetle is teaching us how to collect water. The Stenocara beetle survives in one of the most arid places in the world – the Namib Desert in southern Africa. Scientists have been studying its wings and back. With Patrick Aryee. See our ... Show More
12m 45s
Mar 2019
Walking on walls: How ants and spiders do it
Ants and spiders are able to defy gravity -- but how do they do it? We'll learn about how awesome their feet are and how one predator takes advantage of these powers. Plus: A very challenging mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question, "How do bananas ripen other ... Show More
29m 47s