Bumblebees show unique human behaviour
The bees learn how to complete a two-step puzzle too complex to solve independently, by watching other bees
Scientists have long accepted the existence of animal culture, be that tool use in New Caledonian crows, or Japanese macaques washing sweet potatoes.
One thing thought to distinguish human culture is our ability to do things too complex to work out alone — no one could have split the atom or travel into space without relying on the years of iterative advances that came first.
But now, a team of researchers think they’ve observed this phenomenon for the first time outside of humans, in bumblebees.
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00669-6
This story originally appeared on: Nature - Author:Dan Fox
