[ExI] Ants again! At Caltech.

spike spike66 at att.net
Wed May 12 13:37:34 UTC 2010


 

> ...On Behalf Of BillK
...
> Subject: [ExI] Ants again! At Caltech.
> 
> I thought this might be of interest to LA folk.
> (I'm looking at you, Spike!).
> 
> <http://www.skeptic.com/upcoming-lectures/adventures-among-ants/>
> 
> Adventures Among Ants:
> A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions
> 
>     * Event Date: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 2:00 pm
>     * Location: Baxter Lecture Hall
... 
> JPL/Caltech community, $10 for nonmembers...

Thanks BillK!  The CalTech lectures are always worthwhile.  I lived closer
25 yrs ago, so I was able to go down more often, back in the days when
Richard Feynman was still with us.

> INTREPID INTERNATIONAL EXPLORER, biologist, and National 
> Geographic photographer Mark W. Moffett, "the Indiana Jones 
> of entomology," takes us around the globe on a strange and 
> colorful journey in search of the hidden world of ants... BillK

One of the advantages of being an ant fan is that one need not travel to
study them.  Everywhere has ants, and they do cool stuff wherever they are.
I have set up an experiment using a hand held 1 gallon compressor that works
on 12 volt DC with a blower nozzle.  I have a shoebox with the ends cut out.
I can put the shoebox down over an ant trail and blow away a 15 cm section
of ants, then remove the box and measure how long it takes them to
re-establish the trail, under varying conditions.  

We are near peak ant season, so my son and I are having a lotta fun these
days.  At age 3, he is still too young to understand how weird this is.  I
need to act quickly to take advantage of his ignorance.

spike

 




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