Researchers are using a particle accelerator to create stunning, micron-resolution 3D scans of ants! #Science #AntScan #AI

Antscan: migliaia di formiche in 3D per studiare l’evoluzione degli insetti pikaia.eu/antscan-migliaia-d…

Our March issue is live! 🎉 nature.com/nmeth/volumes/23/… On the cover, the Antscan database consists of detailed synchrotron microCT images of diverse ant species. Paper: nature.com/articles/s41592-0… Image: Thomas van de Kamp, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

As ant smuggling disrupts ecosystems and biodiversity, scientists are countering with cutting-edge tech: A particle accelerator and AI enabled rapid 3D scanning of 2,000 ants, creating detailed models of 800 species to preserve and study their intricate anatomy. This digital archive reveals evolutionary insights, like thinner exoskeletons in larger colonies, potentially aiding conservation strategies. High-resolution 3D model of an Eciton hamatum subsoldier ant from the Antscan project, with partial exoskeleton removal to display internal structures such as muscles (red) and digestive system (green).

A tecnologia de ponta acaba de revolucionar a entomologia e a forma como documentamos a vida na Terra. Uma equipa internacional de cientistas transformou milhares de formigas reais em modelos digitais tridimensionais de altíssima resolução. O projeto, chamado Antscan, não utilizou microscópios comuns, mas sim a potência bruta de um acelerador de partículas aliado à Inteligência Artificial. ​⚛️ O Raio-X do Futuro ​Até então, a técnica padrão para estudar a anatomia interna de insetos era a microtomografia computorizada, que pode levar até dez horas para digitalizar uma única amostra. Para processar os 2.000 espécimes do estudo, seriam necessários seis anos de trabalho ininterrupto. ​A solução foi levar a coleção para a Alemanha, onde um acelerador de partículas gerou feixes de raios X de intensidade extrema. ​Acoplado a um braço robótico que trocava as amostras automaticamente, o sistema digitalizou uma formiga a cada 30 segundos, concluindo um trabalho de quase uma década em apenas uma semana. ​🤖 O Papel da Inteligência Artificial ​Como os espécimes vieram de museus e estavam preservados em etanol, os corpos costumavam aparecer contorcidos nas imagens. Para resolver isso, a equipa desenvolveu ferramentas de IA capazes de corrigir automaticamente a postura anatómica dos animais no modelo 3D. ​O nível de detalhe é microscópico, permitindo visualizar o sistema nervoso, órgãos digestivos e a estrutura do ferrão em 360 graus de forma perfeitamente natural. ​🌍 Descobertas em Larga Escala ​O banco de dados é de código aberto e já começou a gerar descobertas científicas. Ao medir com precisão o volume da cutícula (a "armadura" do exoesqueleto), os ecologistas descobriram um padrão evolutivo: espécies com exoesqueletos mais finos — e energeticamente mais "baratos" de produzir — conseguem formar colónias substancialmente maiores. ​É o início oficial da era do Big Data da biodiversidade! ​Fonte: Um só Planeta dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41592-02… ​#entomologia #tecnologia #inteligenciaartificial #biodiversidade

From Particle Beams to Bug Brains: Revolutionary 3D Ant Library Scientists launched AntScan 3D Library: high-res scans of ~800 ant species. Synchrotron particle accelerator completed in 1 week what normally takes 6 yrs with standard lab gear. 🧵 1/4

A particle accelerator helped scientists create stunning 3D ants Researchers have developed a high-tech system that rapidly scans ants and converts them into detailed 3D models. Using a synchrotron accelerator, X-ray imaging, robotics, and AI, the team scanned 2,000 specimens in just a week and produced models of 800 species. The images reveal microscopic anatomy that was previously difficult to study. The growing Antscan database could become a powerful digital library of biodiversity. sciencedaily.com/releases/20…

Antscan、本当にすごい。アリの標本を3Dデータとして観察でき、外部形態だけでなく内部構造まで見られるのが強み。 頭部、顎、胸部、脚のつき方などが立体で把握しやすく、研究資料としても創作資料としてもかなり有用。 アリや昆虫の形態に興味がある人には特におすすめ。 antscan.info/

【アリ2000体を3D化】 世界のアリ約800種・2000標本を高解像度3Dで公開する「Antscan」プロジェクトが登場。マイクロCTとシンクロトロンを使い、外骨格だけでなく筋肉や神経、消化器、毒針周辺までマイクロメートル精度で可視化。データは誰でも利用可能。もはやアートね。 x.gd/qAODg

Kinda obsessed too. Antscan feels like the closest thing to a nature museum you can carry in your pocket. Also, the detail is nuts, you can see how the body parts actually fit together. What critter would you want next? I vote jumping spiders or a hummingbird skull.

Introducing Antscan, a public database of synchrotron X-ray CT images of 800 ant species. nature.com/articles/s41592-0…

【プレスリリース】世界のアリの多様性を3Dで再構築 マイクロCTでスキャンした800種のアリのデータを誰でも自由に使える形で公開するAntscanは、小さな生き物の微細な形態情報を大規模にデジタル化する、革新的なプロジェクトです。 | 日本の研究.com research-er.jp/articles/view…

プロジェクト「Antscan（アントスキャン）」 biomedisa.info/antscan/ 「研究者たちは最新技術を活用し、2000点以上のアリの3Dモデルを収録した巨大なデータベースを作成し、誰でも自由に利用できる形で公開しました。」 research-er.jp/articles/view…

OIST 世界のアリの多様性を3Dで再構築 マイクロCTでスキャンした800種のアリのデータを誰でも自由に使える形で公開するAntscanは、小さな生き物の微細な形態情報を大規模にデジタル化する、革新的なプロジェクトです oist.jp/ja/news-center/news/…

A hi-res X-ray-scan image of the army ant Eciton hamatum from Antscan

科学者、アーティスト、教育者が自由に使える2000点以上のアリの高解像度3Dモデルが公開！ マイクロCTスキャンで作成したAntscanプロジェクトの詳細は、@naturemethods の新論文で @EconomoLab oist.jp/ja/news-center/news/…

Scientists, artists, and educators now have free access to more than 2000 high-resolution 3D ant models covering most ant genera, created from micro-CT scans. Read more about the revolutionary Antscan project in a new @naturemethods study @EconomoLab oist.jp/news-center/news/202…

【注目プレスリリース】世界のアリの多様性を3Dで再構築 マイクロCTでスキャンした800種のアリのデータを誰でも自由に使える形で公開するAntscanは、小さな生き物の微細な形態情報を大規模にデジタル化する、革新的なプロジェクトです。 / 沖縄科学技術大学院大学 research-er.jp/articles/view…

See bugs as you've never seen them before - a new AI-powered, #UMD student-led "Antscan" provides a free database of high-res 3D models of the tiny critters.

High-throughput phenomics of global ant biodiversity — Open science 'Antscan’ applied high-throughput synchrotron X-ray microtomography to capture phenotypes of ants: 2,193 whole-body three-dimensional ant datasets from 212 genera and 792 species nature.com/articles/s41592-0…