Innovative Research: Bumblebees Learn to Read Morse Code

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have made a surprising discovery: bumblebees can learn to interpret simple Morse code. This groundbreaking study demonstrates that the bumblebee species Bombus terrestris can distinguish between short and long visual signals, akin to the dots and dashes of Morse code.

Specifically, short flashes represent the letter 'E' while longer flashes signify the letter 'T'. Until now, such abilities were thought to be limited to humans and some vertebrates, including pigeons and macaques.

PhD student Alex Davidson, alongside his supervisor Dr. Elisabetta Versace, led the research team in designing a maze to determine if bumblebees could link different light durations to food rewards. The bees were trained to find sugar treats associated with two flashing circles—one emitting a short flash and the other a long flash.

After consistent successful identification, the researchers altered the positions of the circles to ensure that the bees were relying on timing rather than location. The findings revealed that the majority of bees consistently flew towards the light associated with sugar, regardless of its position in the maze.

This confirmed that the bees were indeed capable of differentiating between the two durations of light. Davidson expressed excitement over the results, noting that it was remarkable for bees to succeed in a task that involved stimuli they do not encounter in their natural environment.

He suggested that their ability to track visual durations might indicate an evolved time processing capacity. The study raises questions about how insects measure short durations of time, as known systems like circadian rhythms operate too slowly to explain this precise timing ability.

Some theories propose that animals may possess multiple internal clocks operating at different scales. With this newfound capability demonstrated in bumblebees, researchers have an opportunity to explore timing mechanisms in tiny brains, which are smaller than a cubic millimeter.

Dr. Versace highlighted the importance of such findings, noting that complex behaviors in animals, such as navigation and communication, rely on time processing abilities. She emphasized the significance of a broad comparative approach across species to better understand the evolution of these abilities.

The implications of this research extend to artificial neural networks, suggesting that efficient solutions inspired by biological intelligence could lead to advancements in cognitive-like traits.