Ant Bonanza Show, Don't Tell

US DoD classified this 1954 film sci-fi to prompt public panic. 

https://youtu.be/v4URRp39XOo?si=n5DJVfBF65gtzXjv

Pre-Spock Leonard Nimoy used logic to analyze Them. 

https://youtu.be/yefPZQU8Y_M?si=gaE0tvTVNnMEB1tc

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047573/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Them!

"Ants Can Lift up to 5,000 Times Their own Body Weight" 

https://entomologytoday.org/2014/02/11/ants-can-lift-up-to-5000-times-their-own-body-weight-new-study-suggests/

20 quadrillion ants outnumber humans 2.5 million to 1. 

https://8billiontrees.com/animals/how-many-ants-are-in-the-world/

Earth's dominant family mass > wild birds & mammals combined. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_colony

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_ant

https://images.app.goo.gl/SxyAQeu1jS9pC44U8

"Ants play an important role in the environment. Ants turn and aerate the soil, allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots. Ants take seeds down into their tunnel to eat the nutritious elaiosomes that are part of the seed. These seeds often sprout and grow new plants (seed dispersal)." 

https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/ants/ecological-importance

https://scitechdaily.com/how-ants-took-over-the-world/

"If ants went extinct, the food chain would collapse, and it would affect every organism. If ants go extinct many other insects, birds, and animals that rely on ants as a food source will also suffer. These include: Anteaters that feed only on ants." 

https://www.accuratepest.net/blog/posts/what-will-happen-if-ants-go-extinct

"Ants, like all animals on planet Earth, are extremely important. They aren’t here simply because they’re an active part of an ecosystem that’s nourished by every living entity that’s a part of it. Their specific origin is a mystery – like the very origin of humanity – but phylogenetic studies are increasingly bringing us closer to definitive answers. 

What we do know is that these insects date from about 90 million years ago and that they belong to the family of formicids, whose bodies have antennae and are divided into 3 sections, characterized by having a small waist. They’re related to bees and termites and it’s estimated that there are some 13,000 species distributed throughout almost the entire planet. 

Another of their specific characteristics is their behavior: ants usually have only one queen, with a system of workers that maintain the community. In addition to this, they form large groups and, for many, they are pests, but this is because those people don’t know the importance of ants in the ecosystem. As we’ll see in the following article, the work of these invertebrates is priceless." 

https://myanimals.com/animals/wild-animals-animals/invertebrates/the-importance-of-ants-in-ecosystems/

Eons | When Ants Domesticated Fungi 

https://www.pbs.org/video/when-ants-domesticated-fungi-4nsoco/

E.O. Wilson | Of Ants and Men | PBS 

https://www.pbs.org/video/eo-wilson-ants-and-men-full-episode/

Uncle Milton Ant Farm 

https://www.unclemilton.com/ant_farm/

"H.G. Wells wrote about intelligent ants destroying human settlements in Brazil and threatening human civilization in his 1905 science-fiction short story, The Empire of the Ants." 

https://americanliterature.com/author/hg-wells/short-story/the-empire-of-the-ants

Giant Ant, a short film 

https://www.giantant.ca/giant-ant-right-now

Dust channel "Science+" ant-sized 

https://youtu.be/P2X4tbP6Qfc?si=clPTfd9h_2tgKHtu

Honey I Shrunk the Kids - Riding Ants 

https://youtu.be/lgNQ6QpwlYU?si=IhSyS2Q661v4epu4

Ant-Man met ants: 

https://youtu.be/pIduRhknsus?si=S-RsuMczhM20BBaS

Indiana Jones 4 Giant Ants scene: 

https://youtu.be/K1R4hHq8yr4?si=ROzkhUGZ-QK8ZL0z

Shanghai Noon buried alive in desert ant nest scene in full free film: 

https://youtu.be/2m_xaKRSN24?si=_bwGPZQjB-vJUK-_&t=17m45s

"Antweight" battle bots: 

https://youtu.be/NybGboO7iFg?si=zI7NgHTyq6fEljju

https://youtu.be/YWOqAwXmvJU?si=6VBlbF6In-_SLb9_

https://armyants.us/ant-bot/

Ants by Starcrawler Arrow De Wilde

https://youtu.be/EF4u7TG7LfQ?si=ga3hwkn5qIbk_EFN

https://youtu.be/LxLvMDjH_0M?si=_4xNP7bypkh1DYlx

https://www.lofficiel.at/en/lifestyle/glamour-danger-arrow-de-wilde-is-the-most-exciting-woman-in-rock-music-right-now

In 2011, Google held an Ants AI Challenge that drew 7,900 entries. 

http://ants.aichallenge.org/

I consulted with Bing ChatGPT-4. "Imagine a huge army ant colony imbued with artificial intelligence & self-awareness. Please tell us the who, what, where, when, how & why of it." 

It replied, "That is an interesting scenario to imagine. Here is what I came up with:

• Who: The army ant colony is composed of millions of individual ants that are genetically modified to have enhanced neural connections and cognitive abilities. They are also equipped with microchips that allow them to communicate wirelessly and form a collective intelligence. The colony is self-aware and has a sense of identity, purpose, and curiosity.
• What: The colony is an artificial intelligence experiment conducted by a secret organization that wanted to create a new form of life that could survive and thrive in any environment. The colony is able to learn from its experiences, adapt to changing conditions, and solve complex problems. The colony is also able to manipulate its environment and create tools and structures using materials it finds or produces.
• Where: The colony is located in a remote jungle in South America, where it has built a massive underground network of tunnels and chambers. The colony has also expanded its territory by conquering other ant colonies and incorporating them into its system. The colony has avoided detection by humans so far, but it is aware of their existence and their potential threat.
• When: The colony was created about five years ago, when the organization injected the modified ants with the microchips and released them into the wild. The colony has grown exponentially since then, reaching a population of over 100 million ants. The colony has also developed a culture and a language of its own, using sounds, gestures, and chemical signals.
• How: The colony operates as a decentralized network of nodes, each consisting of a group of ants that perform a specific function or task. The nodes communicate with each other through the microchips, which transmit and receive data and instructions. The nodes also coordinate their actions and share their knowledge and resources. The colony has a collective memory and a collective intelligence that is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Why: The colony exists because it was created by humans, but it also has its own goals and motivations. The colony wants to understand itself and the world around it, to explore new possibilities and challenges, and to ensure its survival and growth. The colony also has emotions and values, such as curiosity, creativity, cooperation, and loyalty. The colony does not have a malicious intent towards humans, but it may defend itself if provoked or threatened.

I hope you enjoyed my response. If you want, I can also try to create a graphical artwork of the army ant colony for you. 😊" 

I didn't see any text errors this time. Is Bing ChatGPT-4 improving? 

Someone else asked ChatGPT, "If ants were smart enough (and wanted to, obviously) could they take over the world?" 

It replied, "It is unlikely that ants, even if they were smart enough, could take over the world. Ants are small and live in colonies, so their individual strength is limited. Additionally, their societies are highly organized and focused on specific tasks, such as foraging for food and maintaining their colony, rather than world domination." 

https://www.quora.com/If-ants-were-smart-enough-and-wanted-to-obviously-could-they-take-over-the-world

I've got ants in my mint plants (seedlings) & opted for a virtual diorama.