Introducing Antscan
We are pleased to announce the publication of Antscan, a project that we have been working on for many years.
We scanned over 2200 ant specimens using a particle accelerator, robots, and AI, capturing phenome-scale data for a broad swath of ant diversity.
The images are useful for a wide range of applications in science, art, and culture. From studying the how interesting traits such as the ant brain evolved, to providing raw material for artists and Hollywood animators.
But more generally, I see the bigger picture as not about ants. I see this as a pilot project that provides a pathway to scanning hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of species, creating a comprehensive digital archive of life. If you are interested in this too, reach out!
The project was co-led by former lab members Julian Katzke and Francisco Hita Garcia, Thomas van de Kamp at his team at KIT, and a huge network of collaborators around the world. Thank you to all!
Links:
Nature Methods paper, and a “behind the paper” article.
See some media coverage below:
NYTimes. “You’ve never seen ants like this before”
Science News. “‘Insane’ images depict ant species in stunning 3D”
More detail in the UMD Press Release