Good point!

2 birds analogy:

In Uddhava Gita, Krishna says there are 2 birds, one bird (jivatma) is not bothered to touch the fruit (Prakriti) whereas the other fruit (Paramatma) is compelled to bite the fruit. 

So, yes, Jivatma from time immemorial is going to keep biting the fruit (Prakriti/ Nature).

With the same analogy of 2 birds, Srila Adi Shankara gives another perspective, the bird which does not touch the fruit is the core self/ atma (spiritual by nature) and the bird which touches the fruit (Sensual objects/ Prakriti) is Buddhi/ Intellect.

So to be even more precise, jivatma's buddhi is going to keep biting nature's fruit.

So anything in this world for jivatma is going to be with Prakriti/ Nature, whether it is struggle or inconvenience or benefits, everything has to do with Nature. Like a small fish inside the lake.

Material scientists bending Buddhi to their will:

One can just learn from how each jivatma used a set of tools from the same nature itself to fight obstacles of the same nature.

Material scientists used their Buddhi to the highest degree and pressures from Nature combined with internal pressure made their buddhi shine at a very high degree to achieve an impossible task of their time.

That is something spiritual aspirants can learn from material scientists in using Buddhi for their efficient completion of tasks and obligations and tame it to focus on higher spiritual goals for Atma.

Atma vs Buddhi: The boxers

So, yes there are 2 boxers. Atma always has the opponent face to face inside the head that is buddhi/ intellect.

It is Atma vs Buddhi (a product of Prakriti/ Nature). Both are boxing constantly for a power struggle. All austerities are done to make Atma win.

Either Atma tames buddhi and keeps it as its slave or Atma runs away discarding Buddhi to higher dimensions eventually as it never changes its retaliatory attitude towards atma's authority over it.

If the battle is lost, then buddhi and his lover kundalini will make atma as its slave and drags it from one body to another aimlessly in samsara cycle. Losing the battle to atma is not a new story, just working to see if an Atma can turn the tables on buddhi. 

I don't see much difference between the scientist and the ant both have the same challenges except in different settings and psychically a different battle but the intensity is the same. Eg: Bxing match is visually trading punches and chess is the same except psychically they are trading punches in the chess board. So, both ants and scientists from a perspective are similar in their struggle against nature.