From the Waggle Dance to the Bee/Brain Analogy

• It is well-established in the medical literature that obese and Type 2 diabetic individuals have a higher risk of getting cancer than lean and healthy individuals. Recent studies appear to explain why this occurs. Elevated levels of insulin and another hormone called IGF predispose obese individuals to breast, colorectal, uterine, kidney, and other kinds of cancers. In recent drug studies, a group of Type 2 diabetics receiving insulin therapy, which increased insulin levels, was compared to a group receiving a drug called metformin, which lowers insulin levels. Over time, diabetics receiving metformin showed 25 to 40 percent less cancers. The present theory is that excess insulin and IGF enhance the glucose supply to certain receptive cells that in turn release restraints on cell division and provide the fuel for them to divide in an uncontrolled manner – the hallmark of cancer. (Science, Jan. 6, 2012)

• When honeybee swarms have to choose a new nesting site, the colony remains together while “scout” bees look around the area for a suitable new site. If one group of scouts, which we designate “A,” find what they think is a fine nesting site, they return to the colony and advertise its location by doing a waggle dance, which communicates both distance and direction to other bees. If another group of scouts, which we designate “B,” returns to the colony with information about a less desirable site they found, they attempt to communicate the site’s distance and location through their own waggle dance. However, if members of group “A” object to this site, they interrupt the dance of group “B” by head-butting them. This is a “stop signal” for the bees that found the less desirable location. Since the colony now has two choices, new uncommitted scouts go out to examine the sites and return to the colony. Now bees from groups “A” and “B” and the new scouts all waggle information. In most cases scout bees advertising the less desirable site receive the most head butts (stop signals), and the colony flies off to establish the better nesting site advocated by Scout group “A.” (Science, Jan. 6, 2012)

• Some scientists suggest that the above example of bee behavior also occurs among neurons (nerve cells) of the human brain, for they also make decisions based on incoming information. One neuron communicates with another by means of branched extensions that extend out and “touch” other neurons. This same neuron receives communication signals from a thousand or so other neurons. Some of these incoming signals induce the neuron in question to send an impulse to other neurons in the circuit, but other incoming signals may be “stop” signals that prevent the neuron from sending an impulse. In the bee/brain analogy, incoming signals that prevent a neuron from transmitting an impulse are “head-butting” stop signals, and a decision is made based on the number of signals that say “go for it” or “stop, there’s a better option.” (Various sources)

• The “behavior” described above provides a means for the colony to obtain less biased information about proposed nesting sites from uncommitted bees sent out to examine the sites in question. They bring their findings back to the colony, which then “votes” on which of the two nesting sites is preferred. It appears that the majority rules, even if head-butting is required to reach a decision. Perhaps this is a kind of democracy practiced by bees. Final question: How much “head-butting” exists in Washington? (Source: imagination of a scientist)