Researchers at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, in collaboration with teams from Frankfurt, Oxford, and Würzburg, are exploring how honey bees (Apis mellifera) inherit complex social behaviors. Their study, published in Science Advances, reveals that the doublesex gene (dsx) plays a crucial role in determining worker bee behaviors.
The researchers emphasize that the social interactions within honey bee colonies are not learned but inherited, allowing the colony to function as a cohesive "superorganism." Professor Dr. Martin Beye notes that understanding the genetic encoding of these behaviors was previously unknown.
The team utilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to modify the dsx gene in select bees, monitoring their behavior with cameras and analyzing the footage with artificial intelligence. They found that the dsx gene influences the tasks worker bees perform, such as caring for larvae and foraging.
By introducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the dsx gene, the researchers could visualize the neuronal circuits in the bees’ brains, revealing how the gene shapes inherited behavioral patterns. Professor Dr. Wolfgang Rössler highlighted that their findings indicate a fundamental genetic program that determines both the neuronal circuitry and behaviors of worker bees.
Moving forward, the researchers aim to connect individual bee programming to the coordinated behaviors of entire colonies, enhancing understanding of social dynamics in these complex societies.
This image shows the generation and examination of dsx ^stop/stop mutant worker bees.
MY THOUGHTS
This was an interesting article to read as humans and other animals, many of our learned traits to help one another are taught and driven into us. Although there are basic survival needs, everything is relatively learned. For bees it is almost the opposite. They have a gene that programs them to care for larvae and forage. It also shocked me that it took awhile for us to find this information.
Sites
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241101144352.htm
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp3953
This research reminds me of the psychological experiments done in factories to determine how people perform under certain conditions. Although that line of research does not have anything to do with genetic relation in humans, it's interesting that humans discovered this genetic connection to bee worker behavior. Maybe there is a genetic linkage to worth ethic in humans?
ReplyDelete