Jane Goodall Institute USA and FormationQ Launch First-of-its-kind Quantum Computing Research Programme to Explore the Ecological Roots of War and Peace

The Jane Goodall Institute USA has partnered with FormationQ and IonQ to launch a two-year research program applying trapped-ion quantum computing to behavioral ecology. The initiative utilizes hybrid quantum-classical modeling to analyze over 60 years of field data to understand the ecological drivers behind intergroup violence in chimpanzees versus the peaceful behavior of bonobos. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for the quantum sector as the first major application of quantum-enhanced computation to the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology.

The "Ecology of War and Peace" program integrates IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum platform with the B3GET (Behaviour, Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Tradeoffs) agent-based model developed at the University of Minnesota. This sophisticated model simulates virtual primates within artificial landscapes, allowing researchers to manipulate variables such as food distribution, home range size, and group cohesion. By leveraging quantum-enhanced computation, the team aims to improve the calibration of these large-scale behavioral models, which have historically been difficult to process using classical systems due to the complexity of interacting ecological variables.

The research is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Lilian Pintea of the Jane Goodall Institute and Co-Investigator Dr. Kristin N. Crouse from the University of Minnesota, with infrastructure support from the University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. FormationQ is tasked with designing and operating the applied quantum components, bridging the gap between JGI’s decades of field observations and IonQ’s frontier hardware. The project specifically seeks to explain the "ecology of war," contrasting the lethal intergroup aggression observed in Gombe chimpanzees since the 1970s with the peaceful social structures of bonobos.

Beyond behavioral insights, the partnership demonstrates the practical utility of hybrid quantum-classical approaches in addressing complex natural systems. The findings are expected to provide critical data for conservation strategies by identifying how environmental factors influence population mortality and habitat health. For the quantum computing industry, this program represents a significant expansion of use cases into life sciences and environmental modeling, showcasing how domain-specific expertise from the Jane Goodall Institute can be combined with quantum technology to solve high-dimensional problems in biology and conservation.