(1) Understanding ants' apparent 'super' strength requires an understanding of the biology of muscles, the physics of scale and the underlying mathematics of each.Īs explained by ThoughtCo's Debbie Hadley, the apparent strength of an ant is linked to its mass. In fact, it's only scraping the surface if we move beyond what mass an ant can carry to what mass it could theoretically support, a 2014 Ohio State University study found that an ant's neck joint can 'withstand ~5000 times the ant's weight'. While an ant being able to lift fifty times its mass might sound fantastical, it's entirely accurate. I recall, in my primary school days, imagining ant-based super-heroes oriented around this impressive claim, and I suspect that when Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby cooked up their first Ant-Man character in 1962, they were similarly inspired. One of the most enduring factoids shared regarding ants is some variation on 'they can lift up to fifty times their own body weight'. While we don't quite have the capability to shrink humans down to insect size, the scientific context of Ant-Man and the Wasp does provide inspiration for Science teachers looking to engage their classrooms through contemporary pop culture. Hank's super-suit inventions are given serious, pseudoscientific explanations, including delving into the so-called 'quantum realm'. But unlike some of the more fantastical Marvel flag-bearers - like Chris Hemsworth's Thor, granted deifie powers, or Benedict Cumberbatch's magical Doctor Strange - Ant-Man is grounded in the world of science. Like its MCU compatriots, Ant-Man and the Wasp is pure fantasy: popcorn entertainment painted with gags, action-filled set pieces and impossible abilities. Ant-Man and the Wasp reunites Scott with Hank and his daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who now has her own super-suit and goes by the alias of Wasp - hence the title. Ant-Man here refers to Scott Lang, an ingenious burglar who becomes a size-shifting superhero when he breaks into an apartment belonging to the 'original' Ant-Man, Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). That lightness of touch seems appropriate, given that the defining ability of Ant-Man - as played by Paul Rudd in this and Ant-Man (Reed, 2015) - is miniaturisation.Īnt-Man may not be the most prominent hero in the Marvel universe, but given the dominance of his franchise at the box office, you can pretty well guarantee that your average secondary student will be halfway familiar with Rudd's interpretation of the character. Coming in the wake of Thanos' (Josh Brolin) genocidal devastation in Avengers: Infinity War (Anthony & Joe Russo, 2018), this instalment is comparatively lightweight, offering up a fun and frothy film set just prior to the events of the preceding one. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed, 2018) is the twentieth film in the durable Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
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