House-Hunting Honey Bees Work Like Complex Brains

Resource:
http://www.blogger.com/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.sciencedaily.com%252Freleases%252F2011%252F12%252F111208141942.htm

Summary:
The human race and the honey bee species both have to make decisions based on where to live. When bees leave their mother, they split into swarms to search for a home to best suit the new colony. The bees communicate to one another by dancing. When a bee finds a home that they like, they'll dance in a pattern that resembles the number 8. Scientists think this figure 8 pattern is a small map on how to get to the potential home. The swarm of bees often find more than one suitable home which forces them to make a decision quickly since they are exposed to the outside world. Kirk Visscher of the University of California, Seeley of Cornell University, and researchers say they have found another signal that plays a part in this process similar to monkeys making decisions. A bee will make a short buzzing sound and butt its head against the dancing bee to end the dance, called the stop signal. They do this to let the dancing bee know that there are other homes they have to consider, it’s about making a decision without being too hasty. To decide which area is going to be their home, they see how many bees the area attracts. The area that attracts the most bees is their home.

Critique:
I found it very interesting that bees have to make decisions just like humans and that they communicate to each other by dancing.

Impact:
I think these findings will help scientists better understand the behaviors of other animals.