Bumblebees can spontaneously solve problems, study finds

Scientists in Finland found bees could solve an insect version of the classic "box-and-banana" problem.

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[EnPeaSea]

Birds do it, bees do it, even chimpanzees do it!

 

[kgh]

Birds do it, bees do it, even chimpanzees do it!

But what about educated fleas?

 

[Rudde]

Correction: University of Finland -> University of Oulu

 

[Mechjaz]

"Do we have to have another talk about your report card?"

"What? I got all bees!"

 

[Bernardo Verda]

Birds do it, bees do it, even chimpanzees do it!

If only we could somehow train average politicians to acheive an equivalent level of cognitive performance.
Actually... make that "average voters".

/snark

 

[Resistance]

The constant stream of novel studies about animal intelligence suggests we have a fuck ton more to learn about intelligence and animals. The more time passes the narrower the gap between us and animals seems.

 

[Navalia Vigilate]

Is the ball a tool? Is this tool use and problem solving? The bee is clearly using a form of cognitive understanding that we humans tend to use to separate ourselves. Such as the tool using cow. Cool research.

Will humanity ever reach a point of realizing that we are not that much different from the rest of the animal kingdom?

 

[trailerpark1976]

Bees are kinda awesome I am finding.

 

[LetterRip]

If the artificial flower had artificial nectar (sugar water) then the smell of the evaporating water is their primary sense cue, not visual. So their visual blockade wasn't relevant.

 

[Oldmanalex]

The constant stream of novel studies about animal intelligence suggests we have a fuck ton more to learn about intelligence and animals. The more time passes the narrower the gap between us and animals seems.

As recentish studies show that rats are altruistic, and now bees are smart, I would argue that the gap is widening.

 

[Person_Man]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAhuSDRIDHE
(sorry, I can never resist when I hear about bees)

 

[KingKrayola]

Despite having tiny brains, bumblebees have demonstrated a remarkable ability to socially learn how to use tools, solve simple puzzles, and cooperate to achieve a goal. It seems they can also solve object-manipulation tasks without any previous training, according to a new paper published in the journal Science.

Terrifyingly, I have tried to tutor masters design students at a prestigious art school, and they were not always at this level, particularly on the cooperation and puzzle solving.

Maybe the old cliche about needing some level of peril and will to survive being creatively formative is truer than we'd like.

 

[cleek]

Terrifyingly, I have tried to tutor masters design students at a prestigious art school, and they were not always at this level, particularly on the cooperation and puzzle solving.

Maybe the old cliche about needing some level of peril and will to survive being creatively formative is truer than we'd like.

behold: The Calhoun Effect


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCans9euxY

 

[FSTargetDrone]

And when we go, Nature will start again. With the bees, probably.



View: https://youtu.be/Ht6CkMG25VE?si=sP6OUTqltOGy_WZK

 

[Navalia Vigilate]

behold: The Calhoun Effect


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCans9euxY

Cool study, but the conclusion was that members of society need a roll to fulfill or they become stagnant resulting in listlessness and non-participation, ending in the death of the society because of a lack of reproduction.

Honestly it does not sound that much different than modern society, saying that knowing that everyone does that. But the reason is the same as Calhoun's analysis, that social animals have a need to fulfill a role within society or they check out.

 

[trashcanman]

Check out Secrets of the Bees on NatGeo. It’s pretty incredible to see them doing these things.

 

[TomRoche]

The team acknowledged that the experimental setups had no way to track the bees’ gaze, posture, or other behavioral cues that might have let them pinpoint the precise “Eureka!” moment when the bees “understood” the problem.

Why not just /ask/ them?

 

[Veritas super omens]

"Do we have to have another talk about your report card?"

"What? I got all bees!"

Well I'll bee damned!

 

[Epke]

Oh beee hive!

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

Remember to plant lots of indigenous wildflowers for your area to help the bees out.

 

[YetAnotherAnonymousAppellation]

Obviously bumblebees are super-intelligent. Since science determined that they couldn't fly, every one of them opens a portal into another dimension where they stash their excess weight, thus allowing them to fly in this dimension.
/S

 

[postadelmaga]

They fly, most of mammals don't... Also they have are complex society...
Their brains must be worth something

 

[vedekhaliwell]

What is amazing to me is we had bumblebees create a nest in a birdhouse 8' above ground. They never got even antagonized when we'd have to walk under it to take out the trash and recycling. Given they normally build underground, (at least the ones here do, I know some do not in other regions) this stunned me. I even called the university extension service and they too were stunned they built the nest so high off the ground. It was neat to have them as guests and would be happy to have them again.

This from a guy who has a deadly serious reaction to stings from Vespa.

 

[FelipeBG]

This is fascinating

 

[Gigaflop]

It's almost like intelligence is on a giant spectrum that starts from even the smallest of creatures.

 

[MrTom]

I wonder how 30 chocolate covered bees would taste.