A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London reveals that bumblebees possess an unexpected talent: they can distinguish between short and long flashes of light, essentially reading a simplified form of “Morse code.” This discovery, published in the journal Biology Letters, pushes back the boundaries of what we thought insects could understand.
Traditionally, the ability to differentiate between these temporal cues – “dots” (short flashes) and “dashes” (long flashes) – has been observed only in higher vertebrates like humans, macaques, and pigeons. But this new research shows that bumblebees (Bombus terrestris ) can also learn and respond to these distinct durations of visual stimuli.
To demonstrate this, the researchers constructed a specialized maze where individual bees were trained to find a sugar reward at one of two flashing circles. One circle flashed for a short duration (the “dot”), signifying sugar, while the other flashed for a longer time (the “dash”), signaling a bitter substance bees avoid. Importantly, the position of these flashing lights shifted within each maze room, eliminating any reliance on spatial cues. This ensured that the bees were truly learning to differentiate based solely on the duration of the light flashes.
Astonishingly, once trained, the bees consistently navigated to the flashing light associated with sugar, even when no reward was present. They demonstrated an ability to encode and process time durations, a complex cognitive feat not previously attributed to insects.
“It was thrilling to see them do it,” said Dr. Alex Davidson, lead author of the study. “Since bees don’t encounter flashing lights in their natural environment, their success at this task is remarkable.”
This discovery begs several questions. Could this timekeeping ability be a repurposed function from another existing bee behavior, like tracking movement or communication? Or does it represent a fundamental aspect of neural processing common to even the simplest nervous systems? These are precisely the questions that researchers hope to explore further.
The tiny brains of bumblebees – each smaller than one cubic millimeter – offer a unique opportunity to study these intricate timekeeping mechanisms. By analyzing how these “miniature brains” process durations, scientists can potentially unlock insights into the evolution and underlying neural circuitry involved in time perception across various species.
“Many complex behaviors, like navigation and communication, rely on time processing,” explained Dr. Elisabetta Versace, Davidson’s supervisor. Comparing these abilities across a range of species – from insects to mammals – will provide crucial clues about how this vital cognitive skill evolved. The bees’ proficiency in decoding durations with such limited neural resources highlights the remarkable power and efficiency of even the simplest nervous systems.
This study offers a compelling glimpse into the sophisticated hidden world of insect cognition, suggesting that the ability to perceive time might be more widespread than previously imagined.
