Have you ever wondered how ants, with brains smaller than a grain of sand, are able to find and ruin your picnic so quickly? Or how bees coordinate massive societies consisting of thousands of individuals? In this talk, Tanya will discuss the remarkable ‘collective intelligence’ of bees, ants and even slime moulds. Despite having tiny brains (or no brain at all), groups of these organisms display intelligence far beyond the capacity of individuals. How is this possible? Find out how scientists are unravelling the secrets of collective intelligence, and how we are using this information to design smarter and more efficient technologies.
BIO
Dr Tanya Latty is an entomologist (insect scientist) at the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment. She works extensively with civil engineers, mathematicians and computer scientist to develop new technologies based on the behaviour of ants, bees and slime mould. She also studies the ecology of bees with the aim of developing techniques to increase pollinators in agricultural settings.
