What happens when a scientist hands a bumblebee a wooden ball and a target — and offers a drop of sugar as the prize? She scores a goal. In 2017, researchers at Queen Mary University of London discovered that bumblebees could learn to roll a ball to a target by watching another bee do it first — and then improve on what they saw. With brains smaller than a sesame seed, these tiny athletes showed a level of social learning and cognitive flexibility that stunned the scientific world. But the most surprising discovery? Some bees kept rolling the ball even when no reward was coming. That's where this story gets really interesting. Tune in for Part 1 — and stay for the twist that launched one of the most fascinating bee studies ever published.
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Are these bumble bees playing with toys? | Science | AAAS
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