logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
27m 14s

Metamorphosis: Bee brains and the cockro...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Erica McAlister on the bee intellect and whether bigger brains are always better. Plus cockroaches may be reviled by many people, but Erica discovers the extraordinary flexibility of their simple nervous system led to the birth of neuroendocrinology.

(Photo: A honey bee feeding on nectar from Echinacea purpurea. Credit: Barnaby Perkins)

Up next
Nov 24
The Animal Employment Agency
<p>We live in a time of automation and robotics; the machines run the factories, and AI will soon take all the jobs. And yet, even today, there are certain niche jobs where only an animal will do. Comedian and biologist Simon Watt is out to meet some of them, and the people who t ... Show More
26m 28s
Nov 17
Bodies
<p>The London Anatomy Office accepts around 350 human bodies donated for medical research and education annually. You may imagine that these bodies are presevered in chemicals for medical students to study over weeks and months. And some are. But many are used - almost fresh - to ... Show More
26m 28s
Nov 10
The Life Scientific: Kevin Fong
There can't be many people in the world who've saved lives in hospital emergency rooms and also helped care for the wellbeing of astronauts in space – but Kevin Fong’s career has followed a singular path: from astrophysics and trauma medicine, to working with NASA, to becoming an ... Show More
26m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Are insect brains the secret to great AI? | Frances S. Chance
<p>Are insects the key to brain-inspired computing? Neuroscientist Frances S. Chance thinks so. In this buzzy talk, she shares examples of the incredible capabilities of insects -- like the dragonfly's deadly accurate hunting skills and the African dung beetle's superstrength -- ... Show More
10m 38s
Jan 2023
What happens to insects in the winter?
<p>When CrowdScience listener Eric spotted a few gnats flying around on a milder day in mid-winter it really surprised him - Eric had assumed they just died out with the colder weather. It got him wondering where the insects had come from, how they had survived the previous cold ... Show More
27m 30s
Sep 2022
What happens to insects in the winter?
<p>When CrowdScience listener Eric spotted a few gnats flying around on a milder day in mid-winter it really surprised him - Eric had assumed they just died out with the colder weather. It got him wondering where the insects had come from, how they had survived the previous cold ... Show More
40m 37s
Dec 2022
Are insect brains the secret to great AI? | Frances S. Chance
<p>Are insects the key to brain-inspired computing? Neuroscientist Frances S. Chance thinks so. In this buzzy talk, she shares examples of the incredible capabilities of insects -- like the dragonfly's deadly accurate hunting skills and the African dung beetle's superstrength -- ... Show More
9m 33s
Aug 2023
The Hum of the Hive
Beekeeper Anthony Smith looks after several hundred beehives across Herefordshire and South East Wales. This episode of Slow Radio takes us to one of his apiaries where we eavesdrop on Anthony’s activities. It’s the middle of the summer, and the bees are at their busiest.Many of ... Show More
29m 44s
Nov 2021
Bee Superfood: Exploring Honey's Chemical Complexities
Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking at how the chemicals in honey affect bee health. With the help of research scientist Bernarda Calla, Short Wave producer Berly McCoy explains the chemical complexities of honey, how ... Show More
11m 39s
Apr 2017
Tania Munz, “The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language” (U of Chicago Press, 2016)
Tania Munz‘s new book is a dual biography: both of Austrian-born experimental physiologist Karl von Frisch, and of the honeybees he worked with as experimental, communicating creatures. The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language (University of Ch ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2022
Have we got it wrong on Omicron?
Studies using swabs from coronavirus patients seem to contradict earlier findings from cell cultures which showed Omicon replicated faster than earlier variants. As Benjamin Meyer from the centre for Vaccinology at the University of Geneva, explains there may be other reasons why ... Show More
57m 34s
Mar 2022
BrainStuff Classics: Can You Train a Bee?
Spoiler alert: Totally. Bees and other insects can learn, and thus be trained, using scents. Learn how they could sniff out everything from bombs to cancer in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/bees-can-be-trained.htm Lear ... Show More
6m 27s
May 2024
Ugly animals and asteroid Apophis
One year ago, the World Health Organisation declared that COVID-19 would no longer be categorised as a global health emergency. But the pandemic has left us with a new normal in all areas of our lives. From vaccine rollout to wastewater monitoring, we’re asking: how has COVID alt ... Show More
28 m