This bumblebee chose between two patterns containing different numbers of yellow circles.
Lars ChittkaThough they may sting, bees are pretty incredible. According to research, they use something called optical flow to find their way home, even if vegetation and other obstacles are in their way. They are said to be capable of understanding the concept of zero.
Bees can even perform counting tasks. But how? Researchers probed this remarkable bee-feat in a recent study published in the journal iScience. To do so, they built a computerized simulation of a brain with just four neurons -- far fewer than the one million found in a real bee brain, a news release notes. (In comparison, human brains have 86 billion neurons.)
The miniature brain counted small quantities of items by following a step-by-step process: It closely inspected each item one-by-one. For instance, if there were three items to count, it would inspect item one first, move on to item two and finally inspect item three after it was finished inspecting the first two.
"This differs from humans who glance at all the items and count them together," the news release notes. The bee-brain approach simplifies the task of counting, allowing these winged critters to make optimal use of their limited brainpower.
"Our model shows that even though counting is generally thought to require high intelligence and large brains, it can be easily done with the smallest of nerve cell circuits connected in the right manner," Vera Vasas, researcher at the Queen Mary University of London and lead author of the study, stated in the news release. "We suggest that using specific flight movements to scan targets, rather than numerical concepts, explains the bees' ability to count. This scanning streamlines the visual input and means a task like counting requires little brainpower," she added.
The study of bees' neuronal wiring could inspire better autonomous robots that may even be equipped with insect-like scanning capabilities. Vasas hopes her team's research will inspire other scientists to probe how different types of animals solve various cognitive tasks.
