The SwarmLab at the World Science Festival

Written by Simon Garnier on May 29, 2019

On June 1, Simon Garnier will take part in the following 3 events at the World Science Festival held in New York City.

  1. Cool Jobs - “Meet the coolest group of scientists with the most fascinating jobs on the planet. You’ll hear from an engineer who studies geckos to find an adhesive that can hold tons of material to the wall, a biologist who figured out why tiny brained ants travel efficiently while big-brained humans get stuck in traffic jams, and a concert-trained pianist who became a scientist to learn why some music makes you dance and other music makes you cry. They’ll tell you first hand about their spectacular journeys to figure out how the world works and much more. Join us to start your own quest to find a Cool Science Job.” Saturday, June 1, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, NYU Skirball Center. Info and tickets at https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/cool-jobs-4/.

  2. Rethinking Thinking: How Intelligent Are Other Animals? - “Intelligence was once thought to be uniquely human. But researchers have discovered astonishing cognitive abilities in many other species—not just our close cousins like chimps, or fellow mammals like dolphins—but also crows, parrots, and even octopuses. If we consider the intelligence of swarms, we must add bees, termites, and ants to the list of super smart creatures. Join the scientists who study smarts as we ask: What is intelligence? Why do some species get an extra dose? And just how special are humans, really?” Saturday, June 1, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM, NYU Skirball Center. Info and tickets at https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/rethinking-thinking-how-intelligent-are-other-animals/.

  3. Intelligence Without Brains - “How much brain do you need to be smart? Bees and ants perform marvels as colonies, though each insect has barely any brain. And plants—with no brain at all—exhibit behaviors that, by any definition, count as intelligent. Brace yourself for a mind-bending exploration of plants that learn new behaviors and warn their brainless fellows of danger; vines that compete with each other; molds that solve puzzles; and trees that communicate and cooperate through a ‘wood-wide web’ of microscopic mycological fibers. Perhaps the real question is, are we smart enough to appreciate the vast range of intelligence that surrounds us?” Saturday, June 1, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, NYU Global Center, Grand Hall. Info and tickets at https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/intelligence-without-brains/.

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