Bees could shed light on differences in human intelligence

A study of what makes some bumblebees brighter than others could shed light on differences in human intelligence, scientists believe. Researchers looked at the brains of bees trained to perform different tasks and found a link between nerve cell connections and cleverness. Bees with more synaptic connections in a specific part of their brains associated with vision had better memories and learned faster than those with fewer connections. Dr Clint Perry, a member of the team from Queen Mary, University of London, said: 'Our findings are the first to suggest a strong correlation between the number of neural connections in the brain and how well an individual does on a cognitive task. 'Our results should provide new avenues for understanding the neural basis of cognition in all animals, including humans.'