# Brian Fisher on Reddit (u/Brian_Fisher) Part of Scientists on Reddit, researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-07. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/scientists-on-reddit/brian-fisher Brian Fisher: Entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences. - Reddit account: [u/Brian_Fisher](https://www.reddit.com/user/Brian_Fisher/) (AMA only) - How we know it's theirs: [The 2015 r/science AMA, posted from this account](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3hu8oe/) - Where they post, in the records we retrieved: r/science (22) - Known activity in the posts we found: 2015 to 2015 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Fisher_(entomologist) ## Moments ### u/Brian_Fisher in r/science, Aug 21, 2015 · Explains things Replying to a redditor: > Why'd they call the ants in Ant-Man male pronouns. Aren't most ants female? > You are right, the Ant-Man film got it wrong. The ants in the film are all female and thus Anthony should have been Antoinette. They got so many aspects of ant society right, it is amazing they missed this obvious point - There is an important movement in Science to promote and encourage women in science, but seeing this obvious blind spot in this film makes me wonder if there is equal need for a Women in Film movement. Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3hu8oe/comment/cuayo72/ · 9 points as of Nov 7, 2026 ### u/Brian_Fisher in r/science, Aug 21, 2015 · Explains things Replying to a redditor: > Welcome Brian, I have long wondered what I am seeing when 10s of thousands of ants pour out onto the sidewalk in chaos. I've read about the long, violent wars that ants will wage, but is that what is happening? Or is it probably something else? Thank you! > Ants, like humans, have many strategies for defending their territory. One interesting example is the Pavement ant, Tetramorium sp. E. (why sp. E, well that is another story). This species is native to Eurasia but was introduced to North America about 100 years ago (note ants, like humans, are quick to colonize new words: Argentine ant, Fire ants .....) but what is cool is that it does a "play" war, right in front of your house, in almost every urban setting across North America. Two colonies will meet on a front, each colony trying to push and shove the other back, demonstrating, with little casualties, that they are superior and not to be messed with. From a standing position, it may just look like a black mat, but up close, it is a full on drama, with ants pushing and shoving. It is like that scene in Ant Man, where the toy train falls over - we have no idea what is happening in the secret world of the small. Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3hu8oe/comment/cuav3nm/ · 6 points as of Nov 7, 2026 ### u/Brian_Fisher in r/science, Aug 21, 2015 · AMA answer Replying to a redditor: > Given they can cause a right old mess of my garden paths and have recently managed to dig their way into my living room, I have tended to smother ant nests with poison. I understand ants tend to be quite useful for moving and aerating soil, but are there any other benefits to… > How lucky you are!! To have ants visit you, right in your home. Nature not at your doorstep but in your own living room. I can understand how at first this may feel like an invasion. But stop, don't reach for the poison. Take a moment and learn from her ways. Watch how they communication and self organize. Realize you are dealing with an organisms that has collective intelligence that is teaching us how to develop algorithms for AI, how to develop better business structure, how to build better roads and functioning cities. Stop and realize that it is these ants that are responsible for soil in your garden - they turn over more soil than earthworms; they are the vacuum cleaners that keep the "brown cycle" humming along so that the cycle of ecosystems keep working. (Excerpt.) Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3hu8oe/comment/cuawcwb/ · 5 points as of Nov 7, 2026