A project called <a href="http://antscan.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Antscan</a> has generated high resolution images of thousands of ants, representing over 700 species. <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/building-digital-ant-gallery/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">To make it happen</a>, researchers brought preserved ants from collections around the world to a particle accelerator in Germany. There, a powerful synchrotron X-ray source combined with a vial-swapping robot allowed the researchers to build a collection of 3D ant images, inside and out. Each voxel (like a 3D pixel) has a resolution of 1.22 micrometers—enough to see the tiny hairs on ant bodies, and distinguish individual muscle fibers.
Antscan researcher Julian Katzke joins us to describe the background of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-026-03005-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the project</a>, and how the images could be used for science and art.
<a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/building-digital-ant-gallery/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Check out Antscan images at our website.</a>
Guest:
Dr. Julian Katzke is a postdoc at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  He worked on the AntScan project while a PhD student at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.
Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/building-digital-ant-gallery/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sciencefriday.com</a>.
<a href="https://pod.link/73329284" target="_blank">Subscribe to this podcast.</a> Plus, to stay updated on all things science,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/newsletters/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri" target="_blank">sign up for Science Friday's newsletters</a>.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Building a digital ant gallery, from the ground up

Science Friday

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews