Nov 17, 2024 10:30 AM —  12:00 PM The Wisdom of the Ants | Scott Solomon | Music : Armov | Weekly Sunday Gathering —  The Montrose Center 401 Branard St #106, Houston, TX 77006

Community Moment: None

Music :  Armov

Main Talk Description:

What lessons can humans learn from ants? These incredible insects have already solved many of the problems we face in modern society. Ant colonies can contain more than 5 million individuals housed inside densely packed, underground nests yet they can survive outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases. They accomplish complex tasks such as building structures equivalent to our tallest skyscrapers, yet they do so without construction blueprints or a leadership hierarchy. Thousands of ants travel back and forth on narrow pathways as they search for food and carry it back to their nests; yet ants don’t experience traffic jams. Some ants are farmers, growing fungi on a scale that rivals our modern industrial farms; yet ants grow their crops without the use of pesticides and can still avoid devastating pest outbreaks. In this talk, join a biologist who has studied ants for more than two decades on a quest to follow the ancient advice of King Solomon: “Look to the ant… consider her ways and be wise.

Main Speaker Bio :

Scott Solomon is a Teaching Professor in BioSciences at Rice University and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. He has a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin where his research examined the evolutionary origins of leafcutter ants in the Amazon Basin. He has taught field biology courses in Colorado, Belize, and Tanzania and hosted educational trips to destinations including the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Baja, and Tahiti. His writing and photography have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, NBC News, Slate, Aeon, Nautilus, and Wired and his first book, 'Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution' was published by Yale University Press and was included on the 2017 Best Book List by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He co-wrote and co-produced a three-part docu-series for CuriosityStream called 'Becoming Martian' and is the host of the podcast 'Wild World with Scott Solomon'. He is currently working on a popular science book for MIT Press about how living in space will affect the human body and mind. Dr. Solomon is a Fellow of The Explorers Club, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Tropical Ecology, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, and the Society for the Study of Evolution.

Musician Bio:

Armen Movsesyan (Armov) earned his BM from the University of Southern California and MM from University of North Texas. Armov creates viral music content that has garnered millions of views and mentors professional musicians across the globe. In 2019 Armov was a semi-finalist at the premiere jazz guitar competition in the world, the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Competition, and a finalist in the 2020 Made in New York Competition. Armov has shared the stage with the biggest names in jazz and his work can be seen in publications like Premier Guitar, Jazz Guitar Society, and others. Find him on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube via Armov to follow his work and check where he's playing next. Go to www.armov.com for products, music, lessons, and other information.

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