Bees that watched other bees were better at solving a puzzle than ones without experience. This preference for the learned solution was then shared among the whole bee colony, according to research done by Alice Dorothy Bridges and her team from Queen Mary University of London, UK.
Animals like monkeys are good at learning by watching what others do. Researchers have found that individual bees can learn this way too, but it’s not clear if the bee colony as a whole will pick up these new behaviors. To look into this, scientists tested six colonies of bumblebees with a special puzzle box. Inside was a sweet treat waiting for the bees, but they had to use two different colored tabs to turn the lid either clockwise or anti-clockwise in order for them to get the treat inside.
The researchers taught some bees how to open a puzzle box and placed them in an area with other untrained bees. After being filmed over 6-12 days, the trained bees were found to open more puzzle boxes than the untrained ones. 98% of the time, these trained bees used the same method the researcher showed them. When multiple methods were tried by different ‘teachers’, the untrained bees randomly picked one method and then everyone in the colony ended up using it.
Recently, scientists discovered that bees are capable of opening a box by pushing the red tab on its lid which then rotates it in a clockwise direction. This shows that bees can learn this behavior from other bee colonies and also create new behaviors through social learning – just like primates and birds do.
Researchers found that bumblebees are capable of learning complex tasks by watching other bees – they do this in a way similar to how primates and birds learn, which has been demonstrated through experiments. This suggests that even tiny-brained invertebrates can show signs of “culture”. To find out more about this research, please check out the article: Bumblebees Learn To Solve Puzzles by Watching Other Bees.
This study looked at whether bumblebees can figure out how to solve a 3D “puzzle box” task, and if they learn the solution from other bees. The results show that bumble bees are able to understand and complete these tasks with help from a teacher bee. This suggests that some animals might have the ability to build on solutions given by their peers and improve them over time!
Scientists studied how 3D measurement technology affects people with a Class III malocclusion after receiving bimaxillary surgery. They also evaluated the effectiveness of E-learning in medical education through a program launched by the China-Gates Foundation and its effects on tuberculosis control. Lastly, they examined the impact of magnetic stimulation on behavior related to depression and brain chemistry in lab rats suffering from long-term unpredictable stress.
Experts are learning ways to make the performance of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty spread in China. They’re also studying how linear regression and machine learning models can predict the learning behavior of clinical medical postgraduates. Plus, they’re trying to figure out if images from street view can help them do better dengue forecasting in cities. Lastly, researchers are looking into how feedback-seeking behavior and caring ability among nursing students might be connected.
