Ecosystem - Short, Science in Nature - Short Grizzly Creek Films, bioGraphic In their quest to identify the pollinator of the ghost orchid for the first time, this team of conservation photographers and scientists spent three summers standing waist-deep in alligator- and snake-laden water, swatting air blackened by mosquitoes, and climbing to sometimes nausea-inducing heights. They came away with an even deeper love for Florida's wildest wetlands—and with surprising discoveries that may help to conserve both the endangered orchid and its shrinking home.

Chasing Ghosts

In their quest to identify the pollinator of the ghost orchid for the first time, this team of conservation photographers and scientists spent three summers standing waist-deep in alligator- and snake-laden water, swatting air blackened by mosquitoes, and climbing to sometimes nausea-inducing heights.

Introduction by Producer Steven Bedard Science in Nature - Short Spine Films, bioGraphic Although tiny, trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus sp.) are awe-inspiring in their own right. With jaws that open a full 180 degrees and span a distance significantly wider than their heads, the ants can strike at the breathtaking speed of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and with a force 300 times the insects’ own weight. In addition to the more conventional functions that jaws perform in other animals, trap-jaw ants employ theirs in a truly novel way: locomotion. Now, researchers are hoping to uncover the physics behind these propulsive ants in order to build cutting-edge microrobots.

Filmmaker Intro by Steven Bedard

Science in Nature - Short Spine Films, bioGraphic Although tiny, trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus sp.) are awe-inspiring in their own right. With jaws that open a full 180 degrees and span a distance significantly wider than their heads, the ants can strike at the breathtaking speed of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and with a force 300 times the insects’ own weight. In addition to the more conventional functions that jaws perform in other animals, trap-jaw ants employ theirs in a truly novel way: locomotion. Now, researchers are hoping to uncover the physics behind these propulsive ants in order to build cutting-edge microrobots.

Lens of Time: Jaw Jumpers

In addition to the more conventional functions that jaws perform in other animals, trap-jaw ants employ theirs in a truly novel way: locomotion. Now, researchers are hoping to uncover the physics behind these propulsive ants in order to build cutting-edge microrobots.

Animal Behavior - Short, Science in Nature - Short Rebel Media Productions in association with Long Story Short Media. Supported by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation. The Honey Bee brain is being studied by researchers who hope that it might provide a unique window into how the human brain works. While the honey bee has only one million neurons, the human brain is exponentially complex with 80 billion neurons. The project focuses on honey bee intelligence which researchers hope can provide an informative comparative lens on the intelligence of other animals. One of the basic questions is: "What is intelligence?" How is intelligence defined across species? How do we account for complex learning, complex navigation, complex memory, complex assessment? The honey bee provides some fascinating answers that will even impact the future of machine learning and robotics.

The Honey Bee Brain

"What is intelligence?" How is intelligence defined across species? How do we account for complex learning, complex navigation, complex memory, complex assessment? The honey bee provides some fascinating answers that will even impact the future of machine learning and robotics.

Science in Nature - Short Day's Edge Productions Biologist Mary Whitfield of the Southern Sierra Research Station has spent two decades studying one of North America’s rarest birds: the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. At her research sites in California’s Kern River Valley, populations have dwindled to just a few pairs. Saving these birds is a challenge because they migrate south to Latin America in the winter. And surprisingly, we don’t know much about their migratory route… or the migratory movements of many North America’s most familiar birds. If we don’t know where migratory birds spend the winter or how they get there, how can we protect them? To help her precious flycatchers, Mary has joined a cutting-edge effort called the Bird Genoscape Project (BGP). Led by Kristen Ruegg and Tom Smith, the BGP gathers data on birds’ genomes from individual feathers, allowing the researchers to connect breeding and wintering populations of the same species and provide critical information to conservationists and managers. Just as importantly, the project brings together researchers from all over the Americas in an effort to protect the birds that tie the Western Hemisphere together.

Feathers In Flight: The Bird Genoscape Project

Biologist Mary Whitfield of the Southern Sierra Research Station has spent two decades studying one of North America’s rarest birds: the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. Mary has joined a cutting-edge effort called the Bird Genoscape Project (BGP). Led by Kristen Ruegg and Tom Smith, the BGP gathers data on birds’ genomes from individual feathers, allowing the researchers to connect breeding and wintering populations of the same species and provide critical information to conservationists and managers.

Join Kevin McLean and Neil Losin in a Q&amp;A session!

Q&A - Neil Losin

Science in Nature

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