Bumblebees

Divas, captains, ghosts, ants and bumble-bees: collaborator attitudes explained

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Divas, captains, ghosts, ants and bumble-bees: collaborator attitudes explained

It takes all sorts: different collaborators approach projects in different ways, and managing relationships between them is a crucial challenge.Credit: Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty As a psychologist, I’m equipped with a theoretical understanding of emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour – and, because of this, I might reasonably be expected to manage relationships with collaborators effectively. Some of … Read more

Bumblebees show behaviour previously thought to be unique to humans

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Bumblebees show behaviour previously thought to be unique to humans

Scientists have long accepted the existence of animal culture, be that tool use in New Caledonian crows, or Japanese macaques washing sweet potatoes. Read the paper here: Bumblebees socially learn behaviour too complex to innovate alone But one thing thought to distinguish human culture is our ability to do things too complex to work out … Read more

Bumblebees socially learn behaviour too complex to innovate alone

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Bumblebees socially learn behaviour too complex to innovate alone

Culture in animals can be broadly conceptualized as the sum of a population’s behavioural traditions, which, in turn, are defined as behaviours that are transmitted through social learning and that persist in a population over time4. Although culture was once thought to be exclusive to humans and a key explanation of our own evolutionary success, … Read more