Entomologists Use a Particle Accelerator to Image Ants at Scale
Summary
IEEE Spectrum reports on AntScan, a high-throughput 3D imaging pipeline that uses a particle accelerator (synchrotron) and automated micro-CT to generate micrometer-scale anatomical models of 792 ant species. The project automates specimen handling, data capture, and analysis with neural networks, producing 200+ terabytes of data that are publicly accessible via an online portal. The work demonstrates how AI-enabled imaging, digital libraries, and standardized workflows could transform morphology research, education, and bio-inspired robotics.