Mar 25
Stray Cat Film Center Kansas City, MO
TicketsDr. Abigail Cohen
Research Associate at Michigan State University
Phase IV— The phANTom menace: Clearing up myrmecological misconceptions
Program Description
Why are we so obsessed with ants? What is an ant colony, and how does it actually function? Ants loom large in our cultural imagination, but the way they are perceived doesn't always line up with scientific fact. We will discuss how ant colonies communicate and reproduce, and why they have evolved to live socially.
This event is part of our 2025 National Evening of Science on Screen.
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. Abigail Cohen is a research associate at Michigan State University in the Vegetable Entomology lab. Abigail received her Ph.D in Entomology at Washington State University and has worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Calgary. Her research examines how landscape and environment interact to influence the movement and development of pest and beneficial insect populations in agricultural ecosystems.