​In the foreword to the 1934 edition of The Soul of the White Ant, Marais explains that the book is not a description of all the indigenous termite species in South Africa, but rather the exposition of a theory based on the psychology of termites and specifically the organic unity of the termite nest. During the first Science Cafe Stellenbosch at Woordfees 2020, Professor Andries Engelbrecht explains to Jannie Hofmeyr how Marais' insight was the forerunner of swarm intelligence and swarm robotica today. 

Science Cafe Stellenbosch is an initiative of SU's Faculty of Science to encourage the discussion of scientific issues in a language that we can all understand. Entrance is free. Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with future talks, or join our mailing list by sending an email to sciencecafe@sun.ac.za

Image: Termites in Australia - By Craig Kirkwood - https://www.flickr.com/photos/fearless_craig/3997312896/in/photolist
CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56825098​