[Soares:] Now ants are often misunderstood creature. They frequently overlooked, stepped on, or even seen as a pest. But one young scientific researcher in Mozambique is testing how a particular species of ant can be used as a form of pest control themselves and it's changing our understanding of the ecosystem right around us. Eleni Giokos has more for you.
[Eleni Giokos, Cnn Business Africa Correspondent:] Norena Vicente is a pioneer in bringing Africa's biodiversity science to farming.
[Norena Vicente, Researcher, Gorongosa National Park:] I am doing a research about biological control using weaver ants to reduce the pests in agriculture.
[Giokos:] That's right, ants. They're often seen as pests themselves, but ants are the cleaners and engineers of the ecosystem. Vicente is testing whether these insects can actually be used as a natural pest control for coffee plants.
[Vicente:] Their community use chemicals to control the insects, but what they don't realize it's using chemicals. They are not just killing the pests, but also, they are killing those that provide a good ecosystem service.
[Giokos:] She does a research at the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, working alongside local coffee growers. Her study involves relocating entire colonies of ants to coffee plantations, then collecting data on how effective they are at removing insects like caterpillars and stink bugs. From her research, she found that the weaver ants is perfect for helping cashew and coffee crops because they provide a shady environments that ants thrive in when building their colony and spring the nutrients in the ground to the surface of the soil. Vicente is fascinated by science and is now working towards her master's degree.
[Vicente:] The main reason that I want to get deep in science, it's because I want not just tell the people the importance of the ants, but also solve problems and also help in terms of conservation of these species.
[Giokos:] She hopes that through research like hers, we can preserve and conserve the ecosystem while being an inspiration for many young innovators in her community and around the world.
[Vicente:] I'm really proud to be a scientist using science. We cannot just discover a new species, not just discover habitats, but also, you can understand how the entire ecosystem work. Eleni Giokos, CNN.
[Soares:] And still to come tonight, a slugfest in South Carolina. U.S. democratic presidential candidates come out swinging in the final debate before Saturday's crucial primary. We break it down for you, next.