The Secret Language of Nature's Tiny Communicators

Abstract: Imagine a world where communication doesn't depend on words, but on flashes of light, scents, and movement. In the extraordinary world of insects, this is a daily reality. This talk will take you on a journey into the secret lives of fireflies and bees, exploring how they convey information through visual and chemical signals. Drawing on concepts from physics, mathematics, and computer science, we will uncover the universal rules that insects obey to make their communication efficient and effective. We'll investigate fireflies, whose twinkling lights allow them to "speak" over vast distances, and bees, who use scents to tell the story of their queen's location. Through a mix of real-world observation and innovative computational techniques, we'll unravel the mysteries behind these intriguing forms of dialogue.