Scientists talked about the ability of bumblebees to recognize Morse code

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have discovered that bumblebees are able to distinguish between short and long flashes of light, similar to how humans read dots and dashes in Morse code. This was reported on November 12 in the journal Science Daily.

For the experiment, researchers led by graduate student Alex Davidson and teacher Elisabetta Versace created a special maze. In it, the bumblebees chose between two flashing circles: one gave a short flash, the other a long one. For the right choice, the insects received a drop of sweet syrup, for a mistake — a bitter substance.

To eliminate the influence of location memory, the researchers changed the positions of the light sources. When the bumblebees confidently began to fly towards the "sweet" signal, the scientists removed the reward. Despite this, the insects continued to choose the desired duration of the outbreak. This proved that they are guided precisely by the time of the signal, and not by its smell or position.

Davidson noted that the results of the experiment were unexpected. He explained that, despite the fact that bumblebees do not encounter such stimuli in nature, they were able to learn to distinguish time intervals, which the researchers found surprising. Scientists have suggested that this ability may be part of a basic neural function inherent in even the simplest organisms.

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Previously, it was believed that only vertebrates, such as birds and primates, were able to distinguish the duration of signals. Now it has become clear that even insects have mechanisms that allow them to process information about time.

Versace noted that the discovery is of great importance for understanding how the perception of time has evolved in living beings. She explained that the ability to process the duration of signals is at the heart of navigation, communication, and learning. Studying such mechanisms in insects helps to understand how the brain solves complex problems with minimal resources, and may inspire artificial intelligence developers to create more efficient algorithms.

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Earlier, on August 22, the president of the Russian Cynological Federation, Vladimir Golubev, explained the dog's howling to the music. According to him, if a pet "sings along" and at the same time looks cheerful, there is no cause for alarm, since this is due to instinct or reaction to certain frequencies. At the same time, the specialist recommended avoiding too loud and harsh sounds. Properly selected music, as Golubev specified, helps to reduce stress in dogs.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.