Lego-Pushing Bumblebees Reveal Insect Collaboration Dynamics

{Lego-Pushing Bumblebees – Earth and Leaf Editorial}

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Bumblebees reveal insect collaboration dynamics

A new study reveals that cooperation by bumblebees isn’t simply a result of accumulated individual efforts. Rather, these miniature-brained creatures are not just hard-working pollinators, but also show signs of being master collaborators.

The study, conducted at the University of Oulu in Finland and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, demonstrates the role of teamwork for bumblebees in novel cooperative challenges.

It has previously been thought that understanding the role of a partner in a cooperative task is a complex phenomenon that is mainly characteristic of big-brained mammals such as humans and chimpanzees. But new research shows that even insects can learn and adapt to cooperative tasks. Understanding how collaboration has become so important for humans requires comparisons with other species.

“The study’s findings challenge conventional notions of insects, and the ability to work together towards a common goal is present even in the miniature brain of bumblebees,” says lead researcher, Associate Professor, Dr. Olli Loukola.

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