Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN
Dr. Deborah M. Gordon
Director of Gordon Lab, Stanford University
Phase IV— Ant Colony Behavior, Organization, and Ecology
Program Description
Dr. Deborah M. Gordon spoke about her research on ant colonies’ collective behavior and the implications of her studies on systems as diverse as the Internet, the immune system, and the brain.
Presented At
Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN
Film Synopsis
Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the desert inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them.
Due to a mysterious cosmic event, ants in the Arizona desert have undergone rapid evolution, developed a hive mind, and declared war on the human race. It’s up to two scientists (Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy) and a woman they rescue (Lynne Frederick) to destroy them. But the ants have other ideas. After creating credit sequences for films like The Man With the Golden Arm, and directing segments of films such as Grand Prix and Psycho, Saul Bass made his directorial debut with this stylized sci-fi flick.
About the Speaker
Dr. Deborah M. Gordon is a biologist and the director of Gordon Lab at Stanford University. She is an expert on ant colony behavior, organization, and ecology. Dr. Gordon received a PhD in zoology from Duke in 1983, an MSc in biology from Stanford in 1977, and bachelor's from Oberlin College, where she majored in French. She was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows.