Scientists get busy with bees at Sheffield
Scientists argue that bee behaviour can mirror human decision making
Scientists at the University of Sheffield have been conducting research into how bee behaviour can mirror decision making mechanisms in humans.
But humans can also learn from bees it seems, not least when it comes to the all too often paralysing thought process of indecision. Swarming bees choosing new nest sites appear to have solved the problem, according to a report published in the journal Science today.
During the research, the Sheffield scientists found that when seeking a new nest site, honeybees headbutt rival bees within their own colony to disrupt the communicative ‘waggle’ dance used to advertise alternative sites, thereby preventing the colony from becoming deadlocked with indecision when choosing a new home.
Indecision aside, maybe there is less to learn from bees when it comes to their bullying form of democracy then.
Dr James Marshall, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Computer Science, who led the UK involvement in the project and has also previously worked on similarities between how brains and insect colonies make decisions, said: “Up to now we've been asking if honeybee colonies might work in the same way as brains; now the new mathematical modelling we've done makes me think we should be asking whether our brains might work like honeybee colonies.”
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest in the UK and it has a long tradition of working with industry including Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and Siemens. Its industrial successes are exemplified by the award-winning Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the new £25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).
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