Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

cnn.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 139 posts

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#101

Post by 93po »

andyjohnson0 wrote: post #98

There should be a name for the tendency to of humans to discount the depth and sophistication of the subjective experience of animals. From insects to primates, it is so prevalent.

I highly recommend Robert Fuller on Youtube for anyone who wants to better understand the shared experiences between humans and animals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQb-badp1s

This video made me change my approach to consuming animals - I realized that just because animals are dumber than humans doesn't mean they don't have real, meaningful life experiences. And I'd be a dick to deprive them of those experiences.

There's also some hypocrisy in us wanting hyper intelligent AI to have compassion for humans and the human experience even though we're dumber than it, but us not doing the same for animals.

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#102

Post by nomel »

nkrisc wrote: post #15
michaelcampbell wrote: post #14

> Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects We have no idea what other insects can do this or when they got the ability. Sounds more like a first in Scientists. (tongue somewhat in cheek)

Yes, it means it’s the first insects we know of with this ability. It of course has no bearing on whether other insects can and we simply don’t know yet.

I imagine we could predict fairly well if we assume perception of time is a requirement for complex return-to-base type navigation.

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#104

Post by jlawson »

nhecker wrote: post #40
fullstop wrote: post #25

When I think of insects, I see them as tiny microcontrollers. In my head bees have a little shift register to measure time. While ants have control over each limb, they mostly move by rotating two tripods one at a time. It's like they turn on an output for three legs, turn off the output, and then turn on the output for the other three legs. Ants can walk backward, though, so perhaps it is more like a half-bridge rec…

I read a paper long ago (so there's no chance of my recalling the source!) and one of the takeaways was that in a cockroach one of the neural ganglia basically had a binary "run!" mode that was flipped on instantly if sense nerves very close to it were triggered. So when researchers tapped or blew air on the rears of the roaches the roach in question would sprint away, its powerful legs being efficiently driven at fu…

Humans have that too. Startle response, withdrawing from pain (hot stove), blink response upon incoming object - all these happen without involving the higher brainstem at all. I think some of them barely even connect with the brain.

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#105

Post by rkomorn »

jlawson wrote: post #104
nhecker wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read a paper long ago (so there's no chance of my recalling the source!) and one of the takeaways was that in a cockroach one of the neural ganglia basically had a binary "run!" mode that was flipped on instantly if sense nerves very close to it were triggered. So when researchers tapped or blew air on the rears of the roaches the roach in question would sprint away, its powerful legs being efficiently driven at fu…

Humans have that too. Startle response, withdrawing from pain (hot stove), blink response upon incoming object - all these happen without involving the higher brainstem at all. I think some of them barely even connect with the brain.

Isn't this part of the comment thread basically about reflexes?

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#106

Post by freejazz »

scottyah wrote: post #94
thewebguyd wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Animals also grieve and mourn their dead, much like we do. They are fellow sentient beings capable of experiencing pleasure, pain, fear, and forming social bonds. It's a lot of why I take issue with anthropocentrism, and think factory farming is an absolute tragedy. It's the industrialized denial of a meaningful life and one of the biggest examples of human cruelty.

I want to live, and think others do too- so Life must have some kind of Greater Meaning. Yet, almost everything else seems to prove the opposite based on how fragile life is, and how little things change when one is lost.

> Yet, almost everything else seems to prove the opposite based on how fragile life is, and how little things change when one is lost.

What a sad way to view things

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#107

Post by [deleted] »

cj wrote: post #93
johnisgood wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, kind of. :D Wasps do not produce honey, they just collect nectar and sugary substances for immediate consumption, and propolis is specifically a bee product made from tree resins. That said, wasps are still quite intelligent for insects with regarding to spatial memory, individual recognition, learning, problem-solving, and social cognition. In fact, their intelligence is comparable to honeybees in many respect…

> wasps are not mindless aggressors, their defensive behavior is calculated based on threat assessment. Can confirm. I had a yellow jacket infestation in my kitchen wall this fall. Every day I'd wake up to dozens of bees flying around my kitchen. But they didn't care about me, all they cared about was getting outside. I probably killed 200-300 yellow jackets with a fly swatter over the course of 2 weeks. Somehow I wa…

[deleted]

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#108

Post by baxtr »

bijant wrote: post #31
baxtr wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am no expert at all in this topic! So please take this with a grain of salt. I just have the feeling (maybe wrongly) that the love and focus for bees is having detrimental/ unwanted effects on the ecosystem. Here some more articles / discussions: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44505552 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44792207 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35668879

Why won’t you let „the ecosystem“ decide that on its own ? It’s much older than you and you are not its lega guardian. If the ecosystem (of which we are a part) decides it wants more honey bees than that’s what it shall get.

I guess it’s a fair point.

But then again, since as you argue (rightfully so!) that I’m also part of the ecosystem: me caring and expressing doubts is actually working as the ecosystem.

That’s how I’m being (virtually) a part of it.

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#109

Post by baxtr »

pinnochio wrote: post #46
bijant wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why won’t you let „the ecosystem“ decide that on its own ? It’s much older than you and you are not its lega guardian. If the ecosystem (of which we are a part) decides it wants more honey bees than that’s what it shall get.

If we're a part of the ecosystem, then deciding to be honey bees' legal guardian _is_ the ecosystem deciding that on its own, no?

Yes exactly, doing nothing or doing something is the same.

We are part of the ecosystem. So any discussion we’re having is also part of being and operating in the ecosystem…

Re: Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects

#110

Post by hackable_sand »

jbnorth wrote: post #52
rootbear wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed! Bees are my favorite social insect (we share a love of hexagons, for one thing) and they seem to be especially intelligent.

The hexagon is the best-agon

This thread is awesome.

I had a miniature war with some wasps staking a claim on my porch

Let me say, wasps are incredibly endurant creatures. I have much respect for them.

Their architecture though... I have the remnants of their enclave. It is so stable and uniform and cozy.

I wish wasps were friends.

Post reply on HN