#11 Preserving ant diversity: Museums and protected areas

#12 For kids: Work in the anthill

In this episode, we crawl deep inside the nest to discover the amazing world of ant jobs! From brave soldiers who guard the gates to clever foragers who find food, from tiny nurses who care for baby ants to huge workers who dig tunnels—every ant has a special role. But here's the really cool part: ants don't go to school to learn their jobs. They just GROW into them! CREDITS Script: Nicolas Châline Revision: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira Editing: Carolina Santos Soundtrack: Radiadora Sonorização Visual Identity: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira Tradutor: João Pedro Moraes

#11 Preserving ant diversity: Museums and protected areas

How do we protect ant species we haven't even discovered yet? In this episode, we explore the crucial roles of natural history museums and protected areas in preserving ant diversity. Follow us on Instagram: @sciantific. Tips or questions? Send us an e-mail: sciantificpodcast@gmail.com. CREDITS Script: Nicolas Châline Host: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira Editing: Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Soundtrack: Radiadora Sonorização Visual Identity: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira

#10 Inside ant-plant relationships

In this episode, we explore the fascinating relationships between ants and plants. From ants that live inside hollow thorns, defending their host in exchange for shelter, to plants that produce special food rewards to attract their tiny bodyguards—discover the incredible world of mutualism. Learn how some plants have evolved specific structures like domatia and extrafloral nectaries just for their ant partners, and how ants, in return, protect their green hosts from hungry herbivores. Some ant-plant relationships are so tight that neither can survive without the other! ** This episode was dubbed from Portuguese to English using the Eleven Labs artificial intelligence tool ** Follow us on Instagram: @sciantific. Tips or questions? Send us an e-mail: sciantificpodcast@gmail.com. CREDITS Script: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira and Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Guest Researchers: Inácio Teles and Flávio Camarota Automatic Dubbing: ElevenLabs (funded by PPG-PSE-USP PROEX funding) Editing: Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Soundtrack: Radiadora Sonorização Visual Identity: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira

#09 For kids: What is the childhood of ants like?

Hey, little explorers! Have you ever seen a baby ant? Probably not, because they don't look like their parents at all! In this special kids' episode, we crawl inside the nest to discover what ant's childhood is really like. From tiny eggs to wiggly larvae to pupae, and finally to adult ants, we follow the amazing transformation these little insects go through. CREDITS Script: Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Revision: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira Presentation: Camila Penna Soundtrack: Carolina Santos and Diogo Leite Editing: Diogo Leite Visual Identity: Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Translator: João Pedro Moraes

#08 How insects navigate without maps

How do ants find their way back home after wandering hundreds of meters in search of food? How do bees communicate the location of flowers with pinpoint accuracy, all through a dance? In this episode, we explore the extraordinary navigational abilities of insects. Follow us on Instagram: @sciantific. Tips or questions? Send us an e-mail: sciantificpodcast@gmail.com. CREDITS Script: Nicolas Châline Host: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira Editing: Carolina Rodrigues dos Santos Soundtrack: Radiadora Sonorização Visual Identity: Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira