Bees count from left to right just like some humans, apes and birds – new research

This is known arsenic the intelligence fig line, and it shows however brains typically organise information. But wherefore bash our brains bash this? To analyse however and wherefore brains bid numbers, it’s sometimes utile to measurement backmost successful time. How did a communal ancestor of humans and insects bid information? To find out, we tin comparison the results of humans and bees: we past shared a communal ancestor much than 600 cardinal years ago.

Two caller studies connected bees person revealed a batch astir however tiny brains bid numbers. One study, conducted by a squad successful Europe, showed that bees similar to bid little numbers connected the near and higher numbers connected the right, conscionable similar galore humans. Our caller study, led by Jung-Chun (Zaza) Kuo and her supervisory team, has explored however numbers and abstraction interact successful the bee brain.

‘Number’ and ‘space’

As humans, we nexus the concepts of “space” and “number”. This means determination is simply a logic to however we bid numbers (typically from near to close successful ascending order: 1, 2, 3, 4… and truthful on). Studies person shown humans whitethorn besides person a vertical – bottommost to apical – penchant erstwhile processing numerical accusation efficiently.

There whitethorn besides beryllium acquisition influences, particularly owed to connection and penning direction. Some languages, similar English, constitute from near to right. Others, specified arsenic Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hebrew oregon Arabic, tin beryllium written successful different directions. Writing absorption tin power however we similar to bid numbers. Meanwhile, honeybees are businesslike learners and amusement grounds of being tiny mathematicians.

In past research, they person been shown to adhd and subtract, recognize the conception of zero, usage symbols to correspond numbers, bid quantities, categorise numbers by unusual oregon even, and amusement grounds of linking numbers to spatial accusation similar size. The competency bees amusement astir numbers makes them an perfect carnal to look astatine however fig and abstraction interact successful a miniature brain.

How did we trial bees successful our study?

We gave freely flying bees sugar h2o for visiting an representation of 3 circles printed connected a card: this was our “reference number”. The paper was hung successful the centre of a ample circular screen, with a driblet of sweetener h2o connected a level underneath it. As the bees repeatedly visited the notation number, they learned an relation betwixt the fig three, the centre of the circular screen, and a reward. In betwixt visits, bees took the sweetener h2o backmost to their hive to beryllium made into honey. After bees had learned to subordinate fig (three) and abstraction (middle) with a reward, we tested them connected numbers higher and little than three, to spot if they had linked abstraction and number.

Bees person revealed a batch astir however tiny brains bid numbers (Source: Freepik)

We showed bees images of a higher fig (four circles) and a little fig (two circles). Two identical images of 4 shapes were shown simultaneously connected the near and close sides of the screen. If bees preferred the larger fig connected the right, they would alert to the quantity of 4 presented connected the close much than erstwhile 4 was presented connected the left. We did the aforesaid for the smaller fig of 2 shapes. If bees preferred 4 circles connected the close and 2 circles connected the left, that would uncover they person a left-to-right intelligence fig line, similar humans.

We besides tested if bees had a penchant to bid numbers upwards oregon downwards, and recovered nary penchant for linking abstraction and fig vertically. However, bees did similar options that were towards the bottommost of the circular screen. So, however does the bee intelligence fig enactment work? The survey by the European squad recovered bees person a accordant left-to-right intelligence fig line. This means they similar to bid little numbers connected the near and higher numbers connected the right.

Our survey has confirmed bees similar to bid higher numbers connected the right. But we besides recovered bees preferred to sojourn the close broadside of the screen. The penchant of bees to bid numbers from left-to-right and to sojourn the close broadside of the circular surface interacted successful an intriguing way.

The bees successful our survey showed a penchant for higher numbers connected the right, but not for little numbers connected the left. This could beryllium due to the fact that the right-side bias we observed cancelled retired the penchant for smaller numbers connected the left.
Taken together, the findings of some studies corroborate that bees bash person a left-to-right intelligence fig enactment and besides that they person a bias towards the close broadside of their ocular space.

Our squad suggests specified biases – for example, however astir humans are right-handed – whitethorn beryllium an important portion of however brains marque consciousness of ordering accusation successful the world.

The birds and the bees (and the apes)

By looking astatine the behaviours of animals, we tin sometimes larn much astir ourselves. These 2 caller studies connected bees amusement determination is simply a analyzable enactment betwixt ordering numbers and however spatial relationships are processed by an insect brain. We present cognize that the penchant to bid numbers from near to close exists successful respective precise antithetic carnal groups: insects, birds and apes. Perhaps improvement has landed connected this penchant arsenic an advantageous mode to process analyzable information.