Skip to content
Cataglyphis Versus Saharabot episode artwork

Oct 16, 2008 31 min

Cataglyphis Versus Saharabot

from Ask A Biologist Podcast Hosted by Dr. Biology Talks with Rüdiger Wehner

Imagine a David and Goliath battle between a tiny desert-dwelling ant and a monster robot. What can we learn from these two unlikely characters? Dr. Biology gets the chance to talk with biologist Rüdiger Wehner about his amazing study subject, Cataglyphis fortis, and his robot incarnation. Did we mention these ants do geometry? Maybe you could use one as a tutor. If you have not already, please subscribe to the podcast so you can be notified about new episodes.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Cataglyphis Versus Saharabot

0:00 31:53

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Intro
  2. 1:25 What's the name of your ant?
  3. 1:53 How hot a temperature can this ant live?
  4. 2:39 Why they have long legs.
  5. 3:31 How do most ants navigate? [Pheromones]
  6. 3:57 How does Cataglyphis navigate?
  7. 4:45 Path integration.
  8. 5:08 A built in compass for direction and odometer for distance.
  9. 5:18 What is their built in compass?
  10. 5:42 Polarized light and ant contact lenses.
  11. 7:07 How do you put contact lenses on an ant?
  12. 8:19 How do your ants tell distance (odometer)?
  13. 9:06 Ants on stilts.
  14. 11:31 Math in science.
  15. 12:07 Trips paths to and from their nest - ant geometry.
  16. 14:00 Ant geometry.
  17. 14:30 Mini brains, mega tasks, and smart solutions.
  18. 14:43 Maps and navigation and landmarks.
  19. 15:57 Integration - compass, odometer, landmarks. What is the most important?
  20. 18:04 Ant photographic memory.
  21. 20:24 Saharabot the desert ant robot.
  22. 21:53 Cataglyphis ant has 360 degree vision. eyes in the back of their head?
  23. 25:00 When did you know when you first knew you wanted to be a scientist?
  24. 26:54 What would you be or do if you were not a scientist?
  25. 27:43 What advice do you have for future biologists?
  26. 29:55 What's it like doing research in the Sahara desert?
  27. 31:07 Sign-off

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Share this episode

Similar podcasts

French Your Way Jessica: Native French teacher founder of French Your Way Boost your French listening skills and test your comprehension with this one of a kind series of podcasts. Get the chance to listen to a real conversation between native speakers talking at normal speed AND customise your learning experience through carefully designed sets of questions (2 levels of difficulty) available for download at www.frenchvoicespodcast.com. All interviews also come with the transcript. French teacher Jessica interviews native speakers of French from around the world who share a bit of their life and passion. Where else would you meet in one same place a French yoga teacher based in Melbourne, a soap manufacturer from Provence, or a couple cycling around the world?

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Ask A Biologist Podcast?

This episode is 31 minutes long.

When was this Ask A Biologist Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on October 16, 2008.

Can I download this Ask A Biologist Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.