The Mind Meld Theory of Wasp Cognition
June 18, 2015 10:45 AM Subscribe
Do insect societies share brain power? The society you live in can shape the complexity of your brain--and it does so differently for social insects than for humans and other vertebrate animals.
See also:
Mind Meld: Social Wasps Share Brainpower
See also:
Mind Meld: Social Wasps Share Brainpower
Eventually we're going to wise up and realize that, holy crap, we're just surrounded by aliens.
posted by byanyothername at 11:59 AM on June 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by byanyothername at 11:59 AM on June 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
The Mind Meld Theory of Wasp Cognition
This made way more sense once I read the article; I assumed it was going to be about how my grandmother believed we should all know what she was thinking without her telling us.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:14 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
This made way more sense once I read the article; I assumed it was going to be about how my grandmother believed we should all know what she was thinking without her telling us.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:14 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
This is so very relevant to my interests, thanks!
I always was taught to think of the basic 'unit' of beekeeping as the hive, not the individual bees. A hive can last long past the lifespan of any individual bee, including the queen. Years, and if they stay healthy and you're lucky, decades even. Bees die by the dozen every day, queens don't last more than 3 or 4 years, but that's ok, because you're not taking care of individual bees. Individual bees don't really concern you. (The queen does to a certain extent, but she's replaceable.)
It makes me wonder about humans. We're obviously not like bees - as it says in the article, our brains develop more, not less, as our societies get more complex - but it makes me wonder if all of us, together, the way we've been getting more and more networked and interdependent, might not be, or become, in some way, part of a larger... entity, made up of us like neurons make up a brain.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:25 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
I always was taught to think of the basic 'unit' of beekeeping as the hive, not the individual bees. A hive can last long past the lifespan of any individual bee, including the queen. Years, and if they stay healthy and you're lucky, decades even. Bees die by the dozen every day, queens don't last more than 3 or 4 years, but that's ok, because you're not taking care of individual bees. Individual bees don't really concern you. (The queen does to a certain extent, but she's replaceable.)
It makes me wonder about humans. We're obviously not like bees - as it says in the article, our brains develop more, not less, as our societies get more complex - but it makes me wonder if all of us, together, the way we've been getting more and more networked and interdependent, might not be, or become, in some way, part of a larger... entity, made up of us like neurons make up a brain.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:25 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
The main problem is that these wasps' brains are full of 'mushroom bodies'. That explains why they're so ornery.
posted by Ausamor at 12:31 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ausamor at 12:31 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think you have that backwards: They lack shrooms, that is why they orner so much.
posted by Michele in California at 12:36 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Michele in California at 12:36 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm beginning to think that this should be considered the norm and not the exception in nature. Ducks sleeping on a log will have the individuals on the ends keep one eye open (and just the corresponding brain hemisphere alert), while the inner ones are fully asleep with both eyes closed. Biofilms are another good example of emergent complex cooperative behavior that isn't apparent when studying isolated individual microorganisms.
posted by sapere aude at 12:50 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by sapere aude at 12:50 PM on June 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's a shame that wasps all seem to share the brain of an asshole.
posted by scruss at 1:01 PM on June 18, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by scruss at 1:01 PM on June 18, 2015 [9 favorites]
Not seeing any mind sharing or melding. The thesis seems to be that becoming social makes vertebrates cleverer, whereas insects get stupider. It seems to be that vertebrate societies are full of unrelated competitors, so you need to be intelligent, whereas insect societies are basically big families where everyone's got each other's back, so no need to worry.
posted by Segundus at 1:10 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 1:10 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Not seeing any mind sharing or melding.
Betteridge's law of headlines applies to science reporting, as well.
posted by Herodios at 1:24 PM on June 18, 2015
Betteridge's law of headlines applies to science reporting, as well.
posted by Herodios at 1:24 PM on June 18, 2015
SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS
posted by symbioid at 1:26 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by symbioid at 1:26 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
My Wasp Event
I was on a high meadow in August between the towns of Eden and Paradise, in Utah. The smell of the meadow oxidizing in the August sun was overwhelmingly good, and visually, the abundant wildflowers and mountain setting were inspiring.
I decided to chant a Buddist passage to the four directions. (Om gate, gate paragate, para sum gate, Bodhi Swaha, om.) I was alone there so I started first to the north, then west, by the time I was in the middle of the third round to the south, I was enveloped in a huge cloud of wasps. I decided that I would finish my plan, and turned to the east and did the fourth and last recitation. Then I stood still, with the wasps humming all around me. I waited, then they dispersed and went back to the meadow and the flowers.
Instead of coming up with some woo, though it was an amazing occurrence, I realized I had unconsciously picked up the exact tone of their humming and started the droning chant on that tone, so they were called to me by that. Because I had a benign presence, they left when I quieted.
It was pretty cool, though.
posted by Oyéah at 1:27 PM on June 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
I was on a high meadow in August between the towns of Eden and Paradise, in Utah. The smell of the meadow oxidizing in the August sun was overwhelmingly good, and visually, the abundant wildflowers and mountain setting were inspiring.
I decided to chant a Buddist passage to the four directions. (Om gate, gate paragate, para sum gate, Bodhi Swaha, om.) I was alone there so I started first to the north, then west, by the time I was in the middle of the third round to the south, I was enveloped in a huge cloud of wasps. I decided that I would finish my plan, and turned to the east and did the fourth and last recitation. Then I stood still, with the wasps humming all around me. I waited, then they dispersed and went back to the meadow and the flowers.
Instead of coming up with some woo, though it was an amazing occurrence, I realized I had unconsciously picked up the exact tone of their humming and started the droning chant on that tone, so they were called to me by that. Because I had a benign presence, they left when I quieted.
It was pretty cool, though.
posted by Oyéah at 1:27 PM on June 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
"...becoming social makes vertebrates cleverer"
I dunno - I look at "social media" and find that claim highly contestable.
posted by symbioid at 1:28 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
I dunno - I look at "social media" and find that claim highly contestable.
posted by symbioid at 1:28 PM on June 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
CRAB: Yes, Aunt Hillary is quite eccentric, but such a merry old soul. It's a shame I didn't have you over to meet her last week.
ANTEATER: She's certainly one of the best-educated ant colonies I have ever had the good fortune to know. The two of us have spent many a long evening in conversation on the widest range of topics.
ACHILLES: I thought anteaters were devourers of ants, not patrons of ant-intellectualism!
ANTEATER: Well, of course the two are not mutually inconsistent. I am on the best of terms with ant colonies. It's just ants that I eat, not colonies-and that is good for both parties: me, and the colony.
posted by miyabo at 2:21 PM on June 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
ANTEATER: She's certainly one of the best-educated ant colonies I have ever had the good fortune to know. The two of us have spent many a long evening in conversation on the widest range of topics.
ACHILLES: I thought anteaters were devourers of ants, not patrons of ant-intellectualism!
ANTEATER: Well, of course the two are not mutually inconsistent. I am on the best of terms with ant colonies. It's just ants that I eat, not colonies-and that is good for both parties: me, and the colony.
posted by miyabo at 2:21 PM on June 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
Terry Pratchett was right! Again.
posted by sneebler at 2:52 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by sneebler at 2:52 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
No. We don't.
posted by lumpenprole at 3:43 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by lumpenprole at 3:43 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Eventually we're going to wise up and realize that, holy crap, we're just surrounded by aliens.
I kind of hate this use of "alien", since it's inevitably used to describe something that has been on earth a lot longer than we have.
posted by clawsoon at 9:23 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I kind of hate this use of "alien", since it's inevitably used to describe something that has been on earth a lot longer than we have.
posted by clawsoon at 9:23 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Segundus: It seems to be that vertebrate societies are full of unrelated competitors, so you need to be intelligent, whereas insect societies are basically big families where everyone's got each other's back, so no need to worry.
You watch ungulates smash antlers every fall for mating rights and think, "Wow, look at evolutionary competition in its rawest and most exciting form! Winner take all!"
Then you realize that "winner take all" means that most of the males smashing antlers are probably half-brothers. Their dad impregnated most of last year's females, and will probably smash them aside and impregnate most of this year's females, too. So relatedness is... well, it's complicated. See also: All monarchies everywhere.
posted by clawsoon at 9:38 PM on June 18, 2015
You watch ungulates smash antlers every fall for mating rights and think, "Wow, look at evolutionary competition in its rawest and most exciting form! Winner take all!"
Then you realize that "winner take all" means that most of the males smashing antlers are probably half-brothers. Their dad impregnated most of last year's females, and will probably smash them aside and impregnate most of this year's females, too. So relatedness is... well, it's complicated. See also: All monarchies everywhere.
posted by clawsoon at 9:38 PM on June 18, 2015
I always was taught to think of the basic 'unit' of beekeeping … you're not taking care of individual bees. Individual bees don't really concern you. … it makes me wonder if all of us, together…
I think we (global human society) do treat many (most) individuals as if they were ants or worker bees. Do our leaders really concern themselves over the death of a soldier? Do any of us really concern ourselves with the fate of a Bangledashi seamstress?
The individuals die, the society lives on. Resources are obtained, refined, consumed; the queens and CEOs reign over the drones, soldiers, and workers.
Humans are wasps writ large.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:44 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think we (global human society) do treat many (most) individuals as if they were ants or worker bees. Do our leaders really concern themselves over the death of a soldier? Do any of us really concern ourselves with the fate of a Bangledashi seamstress?
The individuals die, the society lives on. Resources are obtained, refined, consumed; the queens and CEOs reign over the drones, soldiers, and workers.
Humans are wasps writ large.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:44 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
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