Enterprise of ants, congruent numbers, and AI engage Chennai’s inquisitive minds at Science at the Sabha

At the eighth edition of Science at the Sabha held on Sunday, the scientist spoke on how she and her students studied the relocation behaviour of Diacamma indicum, a species of ants found in the tropics. They studied the challenges they faced during relocation and how they solve them. The species generally do not follow a trail and forage independently. But, when they must relocate, the ants collect their offspring (pupae) in their mouth and carefully transport them. Ants have existed for 120 million years on the planet and have developed a hierarchy in their colonies that includes worker and queen ants and, even, slave ants, Ms. Annagiri said.

Ants also indulge in thieving — they steal the pupae of the colony they invade and carry them to their colonies. The ants that emerge from the stolen pupae become slave ants in the new colony, she said. In their experiment the scientists challenged the ants by making it difficult for them to move into a new terrain or placing obstacles in the nests they build. Though ants had difficulty initially, they learned to overcome the challenges, Ms. Annagiri said.

Science at the Sabha also included lectures by U.K. Anandavardhanan from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, who spoke on ‘A Gentle Invitation to Number Theory’, where he explained congruent numbers and their formation. He left the audience working on finding solution to a problem that has existed for over 10 Centuries.

Richa Singh, head of the computer science department in IIT-Jodhpur, spoke on artificial intelligence and its odyssey. Pinaki Chaudhuri, professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, spoke on the disordered world.

Organisers said the talks were aimed at anyone with an interest in science, irrespective of age or background. A panel exhibition on IMSc Research Snapshot 2024 was also organised, showcasing recent research activities across various disciplines at the institute. K.N. Raghavan, a former professor at the institute, said the event was generally held on Sunday so that many people could participate.