September 30, 2010

Dancing Democratic Bees

As explained in this article Honey Bees, far from being monarchies as commonly believed, use principles of democracy to make decisions as a group. Why? Because it is the most efficient method of governance. However, unlike humans, Bees communicate not with language, but with dance. The Cornell researchers state, "The bee's decision-making process is similar to how neurons work to make decisions in primate brains..." They describe the process by which a hive chooses a new nesting site - the scouts that find the best nesting site instinctively dance the sexiest, so everyone goes and checks out the new digs. Importantly, the hotness of the scout's dance is rigorously honest. So that's what we need in our society - less talk and more hot, honest dancing.





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