Virtual Science Café: Ancient Hobbits, Fungus-Farming Ants, and Tracking Volcanoes
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 19, 2022, 5 – 6PM EDT
What do ancient hobbits, fungus-farming ants, and volcanoes have in common? At the Smithsonian, unique research and discoveries related to these big and small wonders are unlocking mysteries to better understand our natural and cultural world.
Join us to learn, unwind, and engage with some of the scientists at the forefront of this work.
“Rats for Elevenses: What a ‘Hobbit’ Hominin Can Tell Us About Early Human Diets and Environments” by Elizabeth Grace Veatch
Ever wonder why humans are the only surviving hominin species today?The diet of Homo floresiensis, a mysterious 3 ft 6 in hominin who once lived on the Indonesian Island of Flores nicknamed the “The Hobbit,” can give us some clues about what life was like for the small bodied hominin 50,000 years ago. Smithsonian zooarchaeologist Elizabeth Grace Veatch collects data from ancient environments through hominin tooth samples to reveal answers about the hobbits’ environments and to better understand modern human evolution and survival.
“Fungus-Farming Ants: One of Earth’s First Farmers and Why They Matter” by Emilia Zoppas de Albuquerque
Turns out ants, not humans, could be The Original Farmer. Agriculture, once thought of as a hallmark of human evolution, can now be traced to various species of ants, each collectively cultivating a food source. When and where did this behavior occur and what climatic conditions prevailed to influence this adaptation? Emilia Zoppas de Albuquerque, researcher at the National Museum of Natural History’s AntLab, shares how what she calls ‘evolutionary novelties’ open significant niches to a species in a given habitat, making the way for these Neotropical ants to farm fungus and achieve their greatest diversity in Amazonian rainforests.
“Tracking and Fact Checking Eruptions with Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program” by Kadie Bennis
When a volcanic eruption makes the news, the headlines can be equally as explosive. But the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program (GVP), an internationally recognized online database and nexus for volcanic activity and reporting of the last 10,000 years, gets to information beyond the surface to provide accurate real time and archived information. Kadie Bennis, Volcano Data Researcher, shares how GVP tracks and investigates the often messy trail of volcanic activity around the world.
To help you set the stage at home for this virtual science cafe, we’re teaming up with DC-area restaurant Busboys and Poets! Upon registration you’ll receive an order link, and whether you’re local or non-local you can shake up a themed drink to enjoy using a recipe provided by Busboys and Poets.
This program will be presented virtually via Zoom Webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants.